Back to the Future
by LaughLoveLive2.0
Summary: Sequel to Best of Both Worlds.  Miley and Lilly are happy and living in Tennessee.  Will Jenn's visit produce a new friendship?  Will Robby Ray and Jackson's new relationships grow into something else?  And what's wrong with Chrave? Liley femslash.
1. Party Crasher

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel, That's So Productions, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, It's A Laugh Productions and Warren & Rinsler Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: It's been far too long. Monday, October 22, 2007 to be exact. That was the last time I posted a chapter of Liley. Well I have returned with a new story in tow, **_**Back to the Future**_**. No, you will not see Marty McFly or Doc Brown. You will see Miley and Lilly along with their family and friends and several new people that will come into their lives.**

**In the spirit of the newest element that I have added for your reading pleasure, here are the new characters you will be introduced to in our story.**

**Original Characters (and where to find them on the web)**

**Ariel Scott, **teacher at Lilly's new school – **Kristin Chenoweth **(The West Wing, RV. Go to IMDb search.)

**Kylie Westmoreland, **Robby Ray's ex-girlfriend – **Emily Procter **(Calleigh Duquesne from CSI: Miami. Go to IMDb search.)

**Tamera Carson, **Washington, D.C. concert promoter – **Shadia Simmons **(Emily from Life With Derek. Go to IMDb search.)

_(Miley's voice) "Previously in The Best of Both Worlds…"_

"_London, it's Miley. I tried Maddie's place and she wasn't home. I don't know if she's with you, but anyway… I'm ready to make my move with Lilly. I just don't know what move that is yet. I know you said that y'all would come to Malibu to help me and I don't know if you were serious, but if you were serious, then I would really love to see your faces…"_

"_Looks like she needs us, baby." Maddie said softly._

"_So I guess we need to pack some bags, huh?" Maddie said._

"_I guess we do." London said._

_

* * *

_

"_Well… were you guys serious about coming out here to help me?" Miley asked._

"_Of course we were! If you need us there, we are there tomorrow." Raven said._

"_I need you here." Miley said matter-of-factly._

"_Chels! Call Eddie and Gina and ask them if they can emergency baby-sit! We've got to go to Cali!" Raven yelled._

"_Miley Rae Stewart, I am 53 years old and I have seen a lot in this world. There's a lot that I don't understand, but there's a lot that I do. Try me." Robby Ray said._

"_The person that has me so 'melancholy' as you put it… is Lilly." Miley said, pausing for a second to let it sink in. "I'm falling in love with her."_

_

* * *

_

"_Hey Miles! How'd things with Jennkayla go?" London smushed Jennifer's real and professional names together._

"_I… kinda… sorta… kissed… her." Miley trailed off at the end._

"_YOU DID WHAT?" London exclaimed._

_

* * *

_

"_Now that we know each other's names… what is going on, Jenn?" Miley asked._

"_I have no idea, baby." Jennifer purred._

"_Baby?" Lilly said under her breath._

_

* * *

_

"_It wasn't enough that you tried to ruin her career as Hannah Montana, but now you've got to fuck up her personal life too?" Lilly spat._

"_LEAVE SOME FOR THE REST OF US! GO BREAK SOMEBODY ELSE'S HEART!" Lilly screamed._

_

* * *

_

"…_you started crying and…" Miley took a moment to catch herself as her emotions threatened to overtake her. "… you looked so beautiful, inside and out. It was… It was… the moment… I fell in love with you."_

"_I was so angry at Jennifer this evening… because she had what I wanted."_

"_What was that?" Miley asked, knowing what the answer would be but wanting to hear it nonetheless._

_Lilly smiled. "You." She said softly. "I wanted you. I am in love with you, Miley Ray Stewart."_

_

* * *

_

"_Oh my God! You two are moving to Nashville?" Maddie exclaimed as the rest of the ladies chimed in and began congratulating Lilly and Miley._

"_Miley, you missed one congratulatory hug." An icy yet sexy voice said from just out of everyone's view. When the woman came into view, everyone except Miley and Lilly gasped in shock. The woman was the same height, weight and complexion as Miley. In fact, it was like they were looking at Miley only with the darkest brown hair imaginable. She stepped forward and embraced Lilly, who recoiled slightly at her touch. She then looked at Miley and grinned before embracing her and pulling back. "Aren't you glad to see your identical cousin?"_

_Miley looked at her, then looked at her six friends, then at Lilly before settling her eyes back on her carbon copy. "Luanne."_

_And now…_

_

* * *

_

**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 1**

**Party Crasher**

**Thursday, September 21, 2017 – 12:35 pm Eastern – Headquarters of Arista Nashville, Nashville, Tennessee**

There was nothing that Miley wanted to do more than to slap that look off of Luanne's face; that smug, arrogant… incredibly sexy look off of Luanne's face. It had been ten years since she had seen Luanne. To say that Luanne had done a complete 180 in the appearance department was the understatement of the young millennium.

Gone were the horn-rimmed glasses. Gone were the country bumpkin clothes. Gone was the chestnut brown color of Luanne's hair, replaced by a dark brown that could pass for black in a certain light. The hair was also about four inches shorter than Miley's mane and blown straight, however, there was no mistaking this woman that stood before Miley and her friends for anything but a Stewart.

"Miley, you didn't… tell us you had… a sister." Chelsea said incredulously.

"She doesn't." Lilly said coldly. "This is her cousin Luanne."

"I see you haven't forgotten me." Luanne said in a refined sexy, Tennessee drawl that replaced the high-pitched nasal twang of her youth.

"Well, let's see. You came to Malibu ten years ago, you made us feel sorry for you so we'd take you to a party, you tied Miley up in her closet, then you tried to ruin her career by acting like a complete ass at that party! Then, oh y'all are gonna love this, after Miley forgave you, you told everyone back in Misty Hollow how Miley was a stuck-up obnoxious rich bitch that put you down for being poor. Yeah. I'd say I remember you." Lilly spat.

"Lil. It's okay." Miley said softly.

"Okay?" Lilly scoffed. "Why are you not knockin' this bitch out right now?"

"Lilly." Luanne said. "Is that any way for a shaper of young minds to talk?" Luanne said in a condescending fashion. Lilly's response to Luanne's question was a thunderous open-handed smack to the left side of Luanne's face that was so hard it made the other women flinch upon impact.

Luanne held her head in place as she brought her hand up to her cheek and then to the corner of her mouth where a trickle of blood had been drawn. Miley stepped in between Lilly and Luanne to block any attempted reprisal from her cousin. Luanne simply rubbed the blood between her thumb and forefinger.

"Luanne…" Miley started.

"That slap was ten years coming." Luanne said. "That was your free shot, Lilly. Nice one."

"Don't you EVER talk about my students again!" Lilly spat as she pointed her finger at Luanne.

Luanne fixed a "what-did-I-do" smirk on her face when Miley stepped forward. "What do you want, Luanne." Miley asked in irritated fashion.

The eyes of the beautiful, yet troubled woman softened, as did her voice. "I just wanted to say how sorry I was for everything that happened between us. You're family and I've never treated you that way. I just wanted to say that I've been a real bitch to you every time you've tried to befriend me… and I'm sorry." Luanne said.

"Ask her how much of your signing bonus she wants to _borrow_ from you." Lilly fumed.

"Lillian, I don't want any of Miley's money. I just want her friendship." Luanne said.

"My mother is the only one allowed to call me Lillian!" Lilly growled. "Let me kick her ass!" Lilly spat again as she tried to muscle past Miley who was holding her back along with the other women.

"Whoa, cousin!" Luanne said. "It's a good thing you keep your pit bull on a short leash!"

"You know what? Fuck you." Lilly vented as she pointed at Luanne. "I'll show you a pit bull!" The other women kept a tight hold on the struggling Lilly.

"Luanne, why don't you shut the fuck up and go home. You're like the rock in everybody's shoe." Miley said.

"Well I'd say minus the cursin', you're cousin has a good idea, Luanne."

Miley turned around to see one of the friendlier faces in her life. "Mamaw." Miley said as she turned around to hug her grandmother. "I'm sorry you heard that."

"That's okay, pumpkin." Mamaw said. "This girl would make the Pope curse like a sailor on shore leave."

"You are always taking her side." Luanne said.

"Shut… up, little girl!" Mamaw said. "I'm always takin' her side because you're always stickin' your foot in your mouth! Now apologize to Miley and Lilly."

"All due respect Mamaw, I don't want an apology from her." Lilly said.

Mamaw stepped forward and embraced Lilly. "Fair enough. But she still needs to do it. It's good for her soul."

"I am almost twenty-nine years old and you're still talking to me like I was five!" Luanne said to her grandmother. "No wonder Gran'pa Jack and Aunt Brooke died. They probably got tired of you mothering them." She mumbled.

Miley suddenly snatched Luanne by the collar.

"Miley!" Mamaw exclaimed.

Miley got nose-to-nose with Luanne. "If you EVER mention my mother again, I will kill you where you stand. Are we clear?" Miley growled. Her eyes were as cold and sinister as they had ever been in her life. Luanne was paralyzed with unexpected fear as she remained silent. "I SAID are we clear?" Miley asked again as she tightened her grip in Luanne's collar.

"Crystal." Luanne responded before Miley released her grip.

"Go… home. Now." Mamaw said sternly. Luanne's eyes darted back and forth between Miley, Lilly and her grandmother for a moment before she looked Miley in the eye once more.

With contrition in her voice she said to Miley, "I really am sorry." After that she smoothed out her blouse and turned on her heels, heading for the exit.

The building anger that Miley had inside was dampened somewhat by Luanne's last statement. If Miley didn't know better, she would have thought that Luanne's last apology was sincere. She watched the young woman walk out of the auditorium feeling as confused as she did when Luanne first greeted her.

"Sweetheart, are you all right?" Mamaw asked of Miley.

"I'm fine Mamaw." Miley said.

"Well I'm not." Lilly said. "I would love to lay a country butt-whuppin' on her."

Mamaw couldn't help but laugh. "You haven't even moved here and you're startin' to sound like us!" Mamaw said. "Miley, introduce me to your beautiful friends."

"Mamaw, this is Raven Baxter and her wife Chelsea, London Tipton and her girlfriend Maddie Fitzpatrick, Lilly's best friend, Renee Morton and my best friend, Jennifer McGowan." Miley said.

"Nice to meet all of you." No offense to your two friends, but I thought Lilly was your best friend." Mamaw said.

"She still is. They're our best platonic friends." Miley clarified herself.

"Oh! Okay. Now I get it." Mamaw said. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm still tryin' to wrap my head around the whole same-sex thing."

"It's okay Mamaw. Nothing's changed. Miley and I still sleep over and share the same bed." Lilly said. "It's just what we do in the bed that's different."

"Sweet niblets." Miley smacked her own forehead with the palm of her hand. "I don't believe you just said that to my grandmother."

"It's okay. Robby Ray warned me about Lilly's stream of consciousness." Mamaw said.

"Mrs. Stewart…" Raven started.

"Mamaw or Ruthie is fine, sweetie." Mamaw corrected.

"Okay… Mamaw." Raven said with an embarrassed chuckle. "We're going to lunch, just us girls. Would you like to join us?"

"I appreciate the offer but I've got a two-hour drive back to Misty Hollow ahead of me." Ruthie said. "Miley's Aunt Vickie and her cousins are comin' over for dinner tonight. She sends her love, by the way. You know she's lost about eighty pounds? You'd barely recognize her!"

"I can't wait to see her." Miley said. "Give her and everybody my love and tell them that we'll be there sometime this week." Miley said as she hugged her grandmother.

Just then Robby Ray and Jackson walked up on the scene.

"Hey there Momma!" Robby Ray said as he hugged and kissed his mother.

"Hey Mamaw." Jackson said as he embraced his grandmother. "Where's Aunt Dolly?"

"Blondie had to work today. She couldn't get the day off." Ruthie said.

"So, did we miss anything good?" Robby Ray asked.

"Oh, nothing." Jennifer said. "Just your daughter-in-law-to-be slapping the bejeezus out of your daughter's identical cousin and said daughter jacking said cousin up by her blouse and threatening to end her life violently."

Robby Ray looked at Jennifer with a blank stare for a moment taking in Jennifer's accurate account of the events before turning to his mother. "So how IS Luanne doing?"

"Still nuttier than a squirrel turd!" Ruthie said.

"That's Miley's grandma all right." Jennifer whispered to the other women causing them to snicker.

"You'd think after all those therapy sessions your brother paid for that she'd act better." Ruthie said. "I swear, that girl has crap for brains."

"She's got a lot of hurt and jealousy inside her, Mamaw." Miley said.

"Wait a minute. I slap the taste out of her mouth, you jack her up like a perp on Law and Order and now you're defending her?" Lilly asked incredulously.

"It's the same reason you gave your father a second chance after you laid into him at their house." Miley said. "She's family. You give them a little more rope that other people."

"Well she can't have anymore of my rope." Lilly said. "Miserable…"

"She's got her good days and bad days, baby." Ruthie said. "Days when she's normal and days when she's got crap for brains. And Miley's right. We stick by family around here, no matter how crazy…"

"Or squirrel turdy." Chelsea said.

Mamaw laughed. "Or squirrel turdy they may act. Which reminds me, if I don't get back home in time, Vickie and the kids will be acting squirrel turdy when there's no dinner on the table. Love you, Miley. Love you Lilly. Love you Jackson and love you Robby Ray." She said as she hugged each person.

"Love you Mamaw." Miley, Lilly and Jackson said in unison.

"Love you Momma." Robby Ray added.

"Nice to meet you girls. Come on out to Misty Hollow and I'll cook y'all up a mess of greens and fried chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits…" Ruthie said.

"I'm going home with her! I'll catch y'all later!" Raven exclaimed causing everyone to laugh.

"Bye Mamaw." Miley said one last time as she hugged her grandmother.

"Pray for her." Ruthie implored Miley to pray for her cousin.

"I will." Miley said softly before releasing the hug and watching her grandmother walk away.

"Well come on, let's go eat! I'm starving!" Lilly said. "I saw a great rib joint down the street!"

"Lil, Chelsea's a vegetarian." Renee said.

"It's okay Renee." Chelsea said. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

"You are NOT eating ribs." Raven said with an incredulous chuckle.

"Watch me." Chelsea said.

Raven leaned over to Chelsea and purred. "If you do, it will be one of the sexiest things you've ever done."

"Really? Eating meat?" Chelsea said.

"Especially with barbecue sauce around your mouth. We could do something with that barbecue sauce." Raven whispered.

"Okay, ewww! I heard that!" Jennifer said. "That is way too much information to share! I'm sitting on the other side of the table from them."

"I don't know what that was about and I don't want to know." Robby Ray said. "I… am going to check into the hotel and Jackson's got a plane to catch."

"Yeah. I'm doing advance work for your D.C tour stop." Jackson said.

"Daddy, you're staying?" Miley asked.

"All this talk about you and Lilly moving here got me to thinkin' that maybe it's time for me to come back home." Robby Ray said.

"You're movin' back to Tennessee?" Miley exclaimed. "Daddy! I'm so happy!" Miley said as she jumped up into his arms. As he put her down, she spoke again. "Just don't move too close to Lilly and me. We need our privacy."

"Seein' the way you two snuggle up together, you do not have to worry about me." Robby Ray said.

"Great. So everybody's moving back to Tennessee and leaving me stuck out in Malibu by myself!" Jackson said.

"I was gonna give you the house." Robby Ray said.

"Like I said, enjoy your move back to Tennessee." Jackson said, earning laughs from everybody.

"Boy, go get the car so I can drive you to the airport!" Robby Ray said playfully to his son. Jackson smirked and then kissed his sister on the cheek before going to retrieve the rental car. "I'm gonna go say goodbye to Mister Williams. Take care, Bud." Robby Ray hugged his daughter and kissed her forehead. "You too Lilly Bear." He said, doing the same to Miley's fiancée. "Bye ladies."

"Bye Robby Ray!... Billy Ray!" The ladies said in unison with Chelsea's Billy Ray wafting in at the end. This time, Robby Ray heard Chelsea and turned around as he was walking away. He then surprised everybody by playing the air guitar and breaking out into song.

"But don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just don't think it'd understand, And if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, He might blow up and kill this man."

Everybody laughed. Chelsea cocked her head to the side and came to a conclusion. "On second thought, he's not as good as Billy Ray." She said causing everyone to laugh again. Robby Ray shook his head and smiled as he headed for the exit.

"Come on y'all. My stomach's starting to grumble too." Raven said. The other ladies agreed and started toward the exit. Lilly and Miley brought up the rear. As they walked, Lilly noticed that Miley had that far-off look like she was in thought.

"You're gonna give her another chance, aren't you?" Lilly said referring to Luanne. Miley nodded. "Well please don't expect me to be so charitable."

"You said the same thing about Jenn and look how that turned out." Miley said. "And if I recall correctly, you knocked her on her ass. All you did was slap Luanne."

"I slapped the shit out of Luanne." Lilly corrected.

Miley chuckled. "You did slap the shit out of her."

"I'll try, for you. But you owe me." Lilly said.

Miley dropped her voice into a seductive purr. "How about while we're at lunch, you think about the aqua blue bra and thong set I have on right now?"

Lilly let the image sink in for a moment. "That's a good way to pay down your debt." She said as she nodded.

"I thought you'd like that." Miley said with a devilish smirk.

"You thought right." Lilly responded with a smile as she locked arms with Miley and headed out the door on the way to the rib joint.

* * *

**And they're off! Welcome to the second installment of my Liley series entitled **_**Back to the Future**_**. Wow! Luanne is a piece of work, isn't she? Well I've got plans for her that I don't think any of you will see coming. And I've got five, count 'em, five new characters to introduce at some point. How will Ariel, Aaron, Heather, Kylie and Tamera figure into the story? There's only one way to find out. Chapter two is coming up soon! So grab your bags. We're taking another ride on the Triple L Express. All aboard! PLEASE REVIEW.**


	2. Past, Present and Future

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**

* * *

**

**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 2**

**Past, Present and Future**

The eight women spent more than an hour and a half laughing and shooting the breeze at the restaurant. Per Lilly's edict as soon as they sat down, the name Luanne or mention of the earlier incident was forbidden. The remainder of the day was going to be spent having a good time and thinking of pleasant things. At about the hour and forty-five minute mark, the edict was violated.

"Lilly, remind me to never piss you off!" Renee said.

"I'm serious! This chick needs to be on Monday Night Raw!" Chelsea added.

Raven joined the fray with her impersonation of Lilly. "Why are you not knockin' this bitch out right now?" Raven said in her Lilly voice with the accompanying attitude, sending the whole table into hysterics.

"All right! All right! I get it. I go postal on a trick and y'all got jokes. I see how it is." Lilly said.

"We can laugh about it now that it's over." Jennifer said. "I would not have wanted to be her!"

"You WERE her THREE DAYS AGO!" Maddie exclaimed. "Lilly beat the hell out of you Monday night!"

The women at the table began laughing. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" Jennifer said, coming to her own defense. "She got ONE good shot in. I blocked the rest of them with my arms!"

"If we hadn't pulled her off of you, she'd still be kickin' your ass!" Raven joked.

"That's it! I'm not gonna have my reputation ruined!" Jennifer exclaimed playfully. "Let's go Truscott! Round two!" Jennifer said as she stood up, causing the other women to howl. Lilly stood up with a huge grin on her face as she balled her fists up and assumed a defensive position.

"Wait a minute! This is wrong!" Miley exclaimed in a serious tone causing all of the women to grow eerily silent. They all looked at Miley trying to gauge her level of irritability. Miley looked disdainfully at Lilly, then Jennifer, then everybody else. "If y'all are gonna act so ridiculously stupid, the least you can do is do it wet t-shirt style!" Miley delivered her punch line, punctuating it by picking up the water pitcher and threatening to drench them both. The women exploded in laughter as Lilly dipped her fingertips into the water and flicked some into Miley's face before sitting down.

"You know they're gonna do the wet t-shirt thing tonight!" Jennifer said laughing.

"No we're not!" Lilly exclaimed. She then leaned over to whisper in Miley's ear. "Yes we are."

Miley started giggling. She then addressed the group. "Seriously though… I've been thinking about this and despite what all of you are going to say, I am going to give my cousin a second chance." Miley said. Lilly rolled her eyes, not willing to hide her contempt for Luanne. "You don't get to pick your family and like it or not, she's my family. It looked like she has something to say and I'm gonna let her say it."

"Well I wish you the best of luck with that." Raven said. "Chels and I are flying back home today so we don't have to deal with that scandalous heifer!"

"We don't either." London said. "Miley, you're a better woman than me because I'm afraid I'd have to bitchslap her."

"Chels, what was that game you renamed in college? Remember Katie-what's-her-name that got into a fight with Gina?" Raven asked.

"Oh yeah! See-A-Bitch, Smack-A-Bitch." Chelsea recalled setting the table off in another round of laughter.

"Well I tell you what, since I know a thing or two about bitchy behavior…" Jennifer started.

"You? Bitchy? Never!" Miley teased.

"Shut up!" Jennifer playfully snapped back. "I will represent your branch of friends and extend an olive branch your cousin."

"You would do that?" Miley asked.

"That's what friends are for." Jennifer said.

"I'll stick that olive branch up Luanne's ass." Lilly muttered under her breath.

"Lilly!" Miley exclaimed.

"All right! I'll behave." Lilly relented. "But let her call me a pit bull again and I'll make her wish she never slithered out of that hole she came from."

"That's the spirit, Lil." Miley said. "Remember, when we get married, she'll become your cousin-in-law."

Lilly smirked before dryly replying, "Cousin Luanne. Yippee."

* * *

The dawn of a new day brought optimism for Miley. With her friends safely back home In Massachusetts, New York and Malibu, save for Jennifer, who decided that getting away from Malibu for a little while would do her some good, Miley contemplated her next encounter with Luanne. She called her Mamaw and asked her if she could invite Luanne to dinner that night. Ruthie figured that with Luanne's father, Bobby Ray, and his wife, Luanne's stepmother Noel, in attendance, that Luanne would be civilized enough to hold an adult conversation.

A pajama-clad Miley peered out of her hotel window that overlooked downtown Nashville and sighed. It was the first time that she had set foot in Tennessee in over five years and would soon be the first time she was a resident of the Volunteer state since she was in elementary school. As thoughts of the dinner in Misty Hollow danced through her mind, a pair of terrycloth covered arms slid around her slim waist.

"Mmmm. Room service has sure gotten friendlier." Miley purred as she closed her eyes and felt Lilly's warmth envelope her.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet." Lilly growled causing Miley to turn around. Lilly's floor-length terrycloth robe was open revealing that Lilly had nothing on underneath. Miley could feel her mouth begin to water as her brain compiled a list of all the possible things she could do to her fiancée in that instant. "We were so tired yesterday; I didn't get to congratulate you properly for the press conference." Lilly purred.

"So now you want to congratulate me?" Miley asked.

"I want to congratulate the hell out of you." Lilly purred again as she stepped forward.

Miley slid her hands around Lilly's waist and flashed her trademark grin. "Aww, suki, suki now." Miley purred before leaning in and kissing the slightly shorter blonde. About a minute into their make out session, there was a knock on the door. "Go away!" Miley called out. She resumed kissing Lilly only to have the knock resume. "I said go away!"

"_IF YOU AND LILLY ARE TRYING TO GET BUSY ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS SAY SO!"_

Miley looked at Lilly and huffed. "Cockblocker." Miley replied as Lilly shrugged her shoulders and pulled her robe closed.

"Today's the last chance for a few days. Nature is just outside the city limits." Lilly reminded Miley as she walked toward the door.

Miley trudged toward the door in defeated fashion and slowly opened the door. "Good Morning Mikayla."

"Oh, so when I interrupt your groove I'm Mikalya. Any other time I'm Jenn." Jennifer said.

"You got it Mikcockroach." Miley deadpanned.

"Mikcockroach. I forgot about that one. Nicely played Hannah Banana." Jennifer said. "I'm hungry. Let's go to breakfast."

"We're in a four-star hotel. You could have ordered room service." Lilly said.

"Really horny, huh?" Jennifer said.

"Shut up." Lilly replied.

"Get dressed. I'm craving IHOP." Jennifer said.

"Let's go to Waffle House." Miley said. "I haven't been there forever."

"Never had it." Jennifer said.

"Scattered, smothered and covered, baby." Miley said. "You'll love it."

An hour and a half later, the three women found themselves at one of the twenty-five Waffle House restaurants in the greater Nashville area.

"Man, this is good!" Mikayla said as she stuffed her face full of cheesy hash brown potatoes.

"I never thought I'd meet someone who could go plate for plate with Lilly but I think I found her." Miley said.

"Excuse me?" Jennifer said to the waitress. "Can I get another order please?"

"Scattered and covered?" The waitress asked.

"Yes, please. Thank you." Jennifer said. "So how far is Misty Hollow from here?"

"About three hours. But Mamaw drives it in two. She's a speed demon, even heading up into the mountains." Miley said.

"Is your family weird?" Jennifer asked.

"No more weird than any other family. Except for Uncle Earl, but you won't meet him. He's at the World Poker Championship in Las Vegas." Miley said.

"I didn't know he's that good!" Lilly said.

"He's not playing. He won a radio contest and they flew him out there to watch it live." Miley said.

"Well your grandmother is nice." Jennifer said.

"So's my Aunt Vickie and Aunt Dolly…" Miley started.

"You'll love her." Lilly said.

"And my Uncle Bobby Ray." Miley said.

"Bobby Ray and Robby Ray?" Jennifer asked.

"Different middle names but they're identical twins." Miley said.

"So your dad and Luanne's dad are identical brothers and you two are identical cousins?" Jennifer asked.

"My mom and Luanne's mom were identical twins." Miley said. "They said the odds were astronomical that they would produce offspring that looked just alike but we beat the odds. Technically though, we're not identical or twins. We didn't come from one egg."

"Still, it's kinda creepy knowing she's out there, isn't it?" Jennifer said.

"Luanne and I were friends when we were little." Miley said. "Then her mom died about six months before my mom. I got depressed and she got bitter. And we just… grew apart."

Knowing how the death of Miley's mother affected her, Lilly actually felt a pang of sympathy for Luanne. "Maybe… she… I can't believe I'm about to say this… Maybe I'm being too hard on her." Lilly said.

"Maybe. But she's burned us before. That's why I'm taking it slow." Miley said.

"People like her harbor a lot of pain inside. She needs to get past that pain if she wants to have any semblance of normalcy." Jennifer said.

"Spoken like a person that's had extensive psychotherapy." Miley said with a chuckle. "Thank you again for coming with us. You didn't have too." Miley said.

"Are you kidding me? Raven wasn't the only one drooling thinking about the fried chicken and mashed potatoes." Jennifer said.

"And the biscuits. Don't forget the biscuits." Lilly said.

"Fifty bucks says I can eat more food that you tonight." Jennifer challenged Lilly.

"Fifty? Make it a hundred and you're on!" Lilly said as she stuck her hand out for Jennifer to shake.

"You two are insane!" Miley said. "And I got a hundred on Lilly." Jennifer's mouth fell open in shock. "Sorry. As impressive as your display here was, Lilly's got history on her side."

"You're goin' down McGowan!" Lilly said before launching into her best Hulk Hogan impersonation. "And whacha gonna do, when the thirty-two teeth and the stomach that won't quit run wild on you!" She then began flexing as Jennifer and Miley laughed. Just then, Jennifer's second helping of hash browns hit the table. Jennifer tore into them with reckless abandon. Lilly watched in amazement as the petite Latina inhaled her plate of potatoes. "Maybe… I underestimated my competition just a little bit."

* * *

Miley was making good time as her rental car wound through the mountains of Tennessee en route to her grandmother's house. Lilly was in awe of the raw beauty of the nature that surrounded her. Jennifer, however, couldn't enjoy herself as much thanks to the gravelly dirt road that they were traveling. In the preceding fifteen minutes, Jennifer could feel every bump and bounce from her position in the back seat.

"You realize that by the time we get to your grandmother's, I'm not gonna have an ass." Jennifer said. "This road is just gonna wear it down to a nub. I'm gonna be flat as a pancake when I get out of the car. You realize that you are going to be responsible for the end of my career. My fans are gonna say, _'Mikayla used to have a nice round, firm butt until she went to Tennessee with Miley Stewart. Now, nothing. You could iron your clothes on her butt.' _Is that what how you want to go down?" Jennifer complained.

"I'd like to go down…" Lilly started.

"Stop." Jennifer said. "What you're gonna say is gonna be nasty so just… don't."

"You're the one that interrupted us this morning." Lilly said.

"Do I still have a shot?" Miley asked in a whisper.

"Last time I checked." Lilly whispered. "I'll check again at Mamaw's."

"Hey guys… we're here." Miley said as they came over a curve in the road. At the bottom of the hill, down in the valley was the red brick home of Ruthie Stewart. Miley continued down the hill to the bottom, stopping about fifty yards from the entrance to the farm.

"Jeez, Miley! How big is Mamaw's farm?" Lilly asked.

"About a hundred and fifty acres." Miley said. "The house isn't super big but she's got horses and a pond, some cows, pigs…"

"Please tell me I won't have to touch any of those." Jennifer said.

"City slicker." Lilly said before being startled by a loud noise she had never heard before in person. "AAAAHHHH! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Lilly screamed.

Jennifer began laughing. "City slicker!" She teased.

Lilly then peered out of her window and saw a large feathered creature beside the car. "AAAAHHHH! MILEY! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?"

Miley smiled as she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to get a better look. "Lilly, it's a turkey!" Jennifer was laughing so hard in the backseat that she had grown silent in her laughter and tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"No! That's not a turkey! Turkeys go 'Gobble, Gobble!' That thing did not go gobble gobble!" Lilly protested.

"It's a good old fashioned Tennessee mountain turkey." Miley said. "Wanna get out and say hello?"

"Hell no! The only way I'm saying hi to that thing is with a gravy boat in my hand!" Lilly exclaimed.

Miley continued laughing. "Come on. Let's go eat."

"Is your Dad here yet?" Jennifer asked as her laughing began to subside.

"He stopped at his old record label to say hi to a few old friends. He's about an hour behind us." Miley said. "Don't worry. Mamaw always keeps a plate warm for the late ones."

**Several hours earlier – Opryland Records – downtown Nashville**

Robby Ray stepped out of his car in the parking lot of Opryland Records, his home label for nearly fifteen years. A lot of good memories came flooding back to him as he stood gazing at the building – his first single, his first concert, his first gold album, his first and only Grammy. There was one memory that paralyzed him however. It was the one memory that was keeping him anchored where he stood. It was in the break room just off of recording studio A that he received the fateful phone call summoning him to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. His wife, Susan (everyone called her Brooke), was airlifted there after a one-car accident just outside of Townsend, not far from Misty Hollow. By the time he had reached the hospital, she was already gone. He wept bitterly and uncontrollably for close to twenty minutes until Ruthie brought in his eight-year old daughter and ten-year old son for him to break the news to.

He felt a lump in his throat that he hadn't felt in years as he contemplated getting back into his car and heading for his mother's house three hours away. He was taken away from his thoughts of flight, however, by a familiar voice.

"Robby Ray Stewart? Is that you?"

Robby Ray turned around. "Tyler Connors." Robby Ray broke into a grin. Tyler Connors was Robby Ray's label mate and best friend during his time at Opryland. "You ol' son of a gun. How are you?" Robby Ray pulled the Alabama native into a bear hug.

"Man, it's good to see you! How long's it been?" Tyler said.

"Gotta be close to twenty years now." Robby Ray said.

"I'm tellin' you Rob, everybody here's been followin' your little girl's career. We're so proud of you." Tyler said.

"I don't know how little she is. She's comin' up on thirty pretty soon." Robby Ray said.

Tyler shook his head. "Time sure flies when you get old, doesn't it?" Tyler laughed.

"You got that right." Robby Ray said with a chuckle. "How's Amber doin'?" Robby Ray asked of Tyler's wife.

"Good. It'll be thirty-five years in November!" Tyler said before catching himself. Robby Ray and Brooke got married two weeks after him. "Rob, I'm sorry. I forgot…"

"It's okay. I made my peace with her death a while ago." Robby Ray said.

"Still, you gotta be missin' her, especially after comin' back here." Tyler said.

"We had a lot of good times here. All my memories of her are good ones." Robby Ray said.

Tyler decided to lighten the mood. "Come on inside! Some of the old gang is still here. They saw the press conference and was hopin' you'd stop by." Tyler said. Robby Ray smiled as Tyler threw his arm around his shoulder and the old singing buddies walked into Opryland's headquarters together for the first time in twenty years.

Robby Ray and Tyler made the rounds reacquainting Robby Ray with colleagues that he hadn't seen since he packed up Jackson and Miley and headed to California. He was laughing and talking in the office of the Vice President of A&R, who was just a board op when Robby was there, when a voice from behind him made his insides flip.

"Andy, here are the latest numbers from…" Robby Ray's head turning stopped the gorgeous blonde in mid-sentence.

"Kylie Ann Westmoreland." Robby Ray said.

"Robby… Ray Stewart?" Kylie said incredulously as Robby Ray walked over to her and embraced her. "Wha – What are you doing here?"

"I though you told me everyone saw the press conference." Robby Ray said to Tyler as released the hug.

"Kylie locks herself up in her office crunchin' numbers and lookin' at record sales and shuts out the rest of the world." Tyler said.

"I thought you'd be long gone from here by now." Robby Ray said.

"I…uhh… decided that this… was where my home is. Here at Opryland." Kylie said, clearly taken aback by Robby Ray's presence. "So… what are you doing here in Nashville?"

"My daughter just signed with Arista across town and she and her fiancée are visiting Momma out in Misty Hollow. She's movin' here and I'm actually thinkin' about movin' back myself." Robby Ray said.

"NO SHIT!" Tyler exclaimed as he grabbed Robby Ray and bear hugged him. Robby Ray's eyes never left Kylie. "My boy is comin' back home! WHEEE DOGGIE!"

"That's great Robby Ray." Kylie said with muted enthusiasm. "That's really great." She then hesitantly turned her attention back to her boss, Andy. "Well Andy here you go. I've got a few calls to make. Good… seein' you… Robby Ray." Kylie turned to leave.

"Kylie, uhh… maybe while I'm in town we can… have dinner… or a drink or somethin', you know, catch up on the last twenty years." Robby Ray said.

Kylie hesitated for a moment. "Sure. I'd like that." She then flashed a quick smile and retreated.

"That girl still has the hots for you." Andy said.

"Come on! It's been twenty years!" Robby Ray said.

"Look here. I've been around you now for forty-five minutes and as soon as she walked in the room it was clear to me that you two still have some unfinished business." Andy said.

"It was written all over your face." Tyler said. "And hers."

"You know that you can count on one hand the number of dates she's had since you left. Not boyfriends… dates." Andy said. "You were her true love."

"But…"

"I know what you're about to say." Tyler said. "Brooke was your true love. Everybody here knows that. Hell, she knows that. But if Brooke was your true love, your number one, then this girl was number two. No one will ever replace Brooke, but it's been twenty-two years and it's clear that your second chance is at hand."

"Anybody ever tell you that you have a big mouth?" Robby Ray joked.

"Every second of every day, my friend." Tyler said. "I believe in karma and karma put you in this office at that moment for a reason. Carpe diem."

"Okay, this idiot is speakin' in Latin! I know it's time for me to get the hell out of here!" Robby Ray joked causing the other two men to laugh. "Carpe diem." He scoffed.

* * *

Several hours later as he approached Townsend, Robby Ray thought about Kylie, Brooke, his two children, what was and what could be. Robby Ray had been back to visit his mother several times since moving to California but there was one place that he had never seen – the site of Brooke's accident. Robby Ray avoided that location as best he could, going so far as to alter his driving route from the airport in Knoxville by going through Seymour and Sevierville to the east instead of taking a more direct path south from Knoxville past Rockford into Maryville then going east to Townsend. He just wanted to avoid that site.

But on this day, driving in west from Nashville, his route would take him east on I-40 to Tennessee route 321 through Maryville and past the accident site. On this day, Robby Ray decided that enough time had passed and that he was strong enough to visit the place where his beloved wife took her last breath. As he came up on the location, just past mile marker 30, he took in the surroundings. His eyes fixated on the spot where a tree once stood. It was the tree that Brooke struck after losing control of her car. Ruthie successfully petitioned the county to cut it down soon after Brooke's funeral.

Robby Ray stopped the car and put his flashers on. He stepped out of the car and walked over to the mile marker. He stared at the spot in the grassy enclave. Words came to mind but wouldn't leave his lips. So he simply stared at the spot. After a few minutes of being lost in his thoughts, his eyes fixated on an object that he should have noticed before but didn't. Shaking off his unwillingness to get any closer to the spot, he stepped forward and traveled the fifteen yards from the sign to where the object rested.

It was a small wooden cross. He knelt down to read the writing on the cross and immediately recognized the handwriting. The cross read: _**Susan Brooke Stewart 2/5/64 – 3/19/97, We love you Mom, Miley and Lilly.**_

The makeshift memorial included several irises, Brooke's favorite flower and a picture of Brooke taken several weeks before her death. Upon seeing this, Robby Ray dropped his head and cried for several minutes. When he collected himself, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet that contained another picture that was taken a few months earlier than the one on the cross. It was then that he noticed a second push pin was placed on the right side of the cross. _That little girl had a feelin' I was coming here. _Robby Ray thought just before affixing his picture to the cross. Placing his hand on the back of the cross, he felt a cylindrical object taped to the back. It was a black Sharpie. Robby Ray smirked at the ingenuity of his youngest child. He took the pen off the cross and wrote on the back side of the cross; _**I will never forget you, Love, Rob.**_

He then stood up and looked down at the cross. "Brooke, this is the last place you drew breath so excuse me if I don't visit the gravesite. I just… feel like part of your spirit's here." Robby Ray started. "I'm sorry I never came here before. This… was just too hard before. But I've grown up, a little, and now I think it's time. You know me. You know why I'm here. I came to you when I started datin' Kylie before. You know I saw her today and well… She was the only woman to make me feel half as good as you did and… I guess I'm askin' for your blessin' to go out with her again." Robby Ray had several tears fall. "Even in death I don't want to make you mad or disappointed in me." He paused for a moment in thought before continuing. "I wish you could come back, but you can't. Miley's grown up and getting married and Jackson's doin' his thing… Tyler told me that my second chance with Kylie is at hand and you always told me that…" Robby Ray began to softly sob. "… if anything… ever happened to you… you'd want me to be happy and love someone else and… I just want to know if Kylie is all right with you." Just then a small rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. "Are you trying to tell me she's okay or to get to Momma's before it starts rainin'?" A few droplets of rain came down into view. "All right, I'm goin'. You always did say I was long-winded." Robby Ray paused again and delivered a line that he and his wife used to share. "I will love you till the day I die and there's nothin' you can do about it… Bye baby… I'll talk to you later."

With that, Robby Ray got back into his car and continued on his journey to his mother's house just minutes before another rumble of thunder sounded and the sky opened up sending a deluge of rain down on eastern Tennessee. As he drove, he turned on the car radio and tuned in the local country station that had just begun playing Brooke's favorite song, Dolly Parton's version of I Will Always Love You. Robby Ray smiled and shook his head. "Dang flabbit, Woman…" Robby Ray said out loud to his wife. "You always have to have the last word, don't you?"

* * *

**There is chapter two. I gave you a little more Robby Ray than usual. Since it's a Disney Channel show, the adults tend to be an afterthought and that's a shame because there is some untapped depth to his character. I hope you enjoyed it. Chapter three is coming. Dinner at Mamaw's! What do I have in store for you? Stay tuned. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	3. Showing Yourself Friendly

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

* * *

**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 3**

**Showing Yourself Friendly**

Miley reached the end of her grandmother's driveway and noticed two cars other than her grandmother's sitting near the house. The pregnant rain clouds began to darken the sky overhead. Animals could be heard making noise, indicating the arrival of a storm. Inside her mind, Miley didn't worry, knowing that her grandmother had three portable emergency diesel generators and one stationary generator for the main house.

"Looks like Luanne and her folks are here." Miley said as she brought the car around close to the house.

"So let me get this straight. I can't spit in Luanne's eye for any reason tonight." Lilly said.

"No you can't spit in Luanne's eye. Man! For a teacher you sure are violent!" Miley said.

"Only when provoked." Lilly said. "And that woman provokes me."

"Just don't feed into her." Jennifer said. "Showing someone like that your weakness is like blood in the water to a shark. I've been on both sides of the equation. Trust me, if you don't take the bait, she'll switch up one or two times and come back at you, but she'll eventually give up."

"And don't worry, babe." Miley said. "I'll be by your side the whole time."

Just as Miley put the car in park about twenty yards from the house, the sky opened up and rain began pounding down.

"Aww, man! I didn't bring an umbrella!" Miley said.

"Me either." Jennifer said. "Looks like we have to make a run for it."

Seconds before they opened the door to make their mad dash to the house, a figure appeared on the porch and opened up a huge golf-sized orange and white University of Tennessee umbrella and stepped off the porch to approach the car. About ten yards from the car, the women made out the form as belonging to Luanne. She went around to Miley's driver's side door and motioned for her to get out.

"Come on Lil." Miley said to Lilly, motioning for her to slide across the bench seat.

"What about Jenn?" Lilly asked.

"There's not enough room for four. You two go. Just send her back for me." Jennifer said.

Lilly nodded and slid over next to Miley. Miley then opened the door and hopped out with Lilly in hand. They huddled under the umbrella with Luanne and jogged to the house. After leaving Miley and Lilly on the porch, Luanne jogged back to the car to get Jennifer. Jennifer slid out and got under the umbrella with Luanne and they began to jog to the house.

"Hey." Luanne said with a sly smile.

"Hi." Jennifer said innocently as they jogged. Seconds later, they reached the front porch.

"Man, it's gonna be a mess tonight!" Luanne said as she shook the wet umbrella out.

"I forgot how sudden storms pop up here." Miley said as she looked out from the porch. "It doesn't rain like this back in California."

"Thanks… for coming to get us." Lilly said grudgingly to Luanne."

"You're welcome." Luanne said. "Wouldn't wanna mess that pretty hair up."

"Are you starting with me again?" Lilly asked defensively.

"No, sweetie. I think she was trying to say you have pretty hair." Miley said. "Right, Luanne?"

"Exactly." Luanne said. "I know you're not fond of me, but I like you. You've got… spunk. I like spunk." Luanne then turned to Jennifer. "Are you spunky?"

"No, I'm Jennifer. Jennifer McGowan. But you can call me Jenn." Jennifer extended her hand to shake.

Luanne took Jennifer's hand. "That's funny. I like that. You are spunky." Luanne then cocked her head to one side as she looked at Jennifer. "Say… anybody ever tell you that you look like that chick that used to fight with Hannah all the time? What's her name?... Mikayla!"

"That's because I am Mikayla." Jennifer said.

"You're kidding?" Luanne said. "Hannah and Mikayla, best friends? How do ya like that?"

"More like Miley and Jennifer are best friends." Miley said.

"Why couldn't Jenn be my best friend?" Lilly bristled toward Luanne.

"I figured she's a pop star, my cousin's a pop star…" Luanne said before being cut off by Lilly.

"What kind of best friend do I look like I'd have?" Lilly said with a furrowed brow.

"Dial it back a little, Lilly." Jennifer whispered.

"Look, Mamaw asked me to be on my best behavior tonight and I'm gonna respect her house and do that." Luanne said. "I don't want to start anything with you tonight, okay?"

"But you're not ruling out tomorrow?" Lilly asked, begging Luanne to take the bait.

"Would you chill out, please?" Miley asked of her fiancée.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, Miles." Lilly said.

Luanne extended her hand. "Come on Lilly. Let's bury the hatchet tonight… for Miley and Mamaw." Luanne said.

Lilly looked at Luanne's hand for a moment contemplating a possible deal with the devil. She then glanced over at Miley who was looking at her with wide-open blue eyes full of hope. Lilly then slowly stuck her hand out and shook Luanne's. "For Miley and Mamaw." Lilly said in almost exasperated fashion.

"How about you?" Luanne said to Jennifer. "Are we burying the hatchet too?"

"I don't know you well enough yet to hate you." Jennifer said in her sassy Mikayla voice.

Luanne chuckled and turned toward Miley. "She's sharp. I always thought Mikayla was hot." She then turned and opened the screen door. "Come on. Mamaw said supper'll be ready soon." With that, Luanne spun on her heels and walked inside.

"UGH! I think she just indirectly hit on you!" Lilly whisper-yelled to Jennifer.

"She did not!" Jennifer whisper-yelled back. "She just said she thought Mikayla was hot. You can think somebody's hot and not hit on them!"

"I just get that vibe from her." Lilly said. "I bet you another fifty bucks she hits on you before the night is over."

"You are so wrong!" Jennifer said. "I'm putting a hundred on that one."

"This'll be the easiest two hundred bucks I've ever made." Lilly said as they started inside.

"You two have problems. Serious deep-seated problems." Miley deadpanned as they walked into the house.

Miley, Lilly and Jennifer walked into the house and were immediately hit with the aroma of fried chicken and hot buttermilk biscuits.

"I… am gonna eat 'till I explode!" Lilly said with a giddy grin just before the three women walked into the living room.

"There are my girls!" Ruthie said as she sprung out of her favorite chair and ran over to Miley and Lilly and engaged them in a group bear hug. "How was the ride out here?"

"It was good Mamaw." Miley said with a smile.

"Good." Ruthie said before turning to Jennifer. "Hi… Jennifer, right?"

"That's right, Mrs. Stewart." Jennifer said extending her hand.

"I told you to call me Ruthie or Mamaw! And you don't shake my hand! Come here!" Ruthie said as she threw her arms wide open to embrace Jennifer.

"How about Miss Ruthie?" Jennifer said.

"I'll take it." Ruthie said.

"Uncle Bobby!" Miley said as she walked over to hug her father's twin brother.

"Good Lord, Girl! Look atcha!" Bobby Ray said. "If you ain't the prettiest thing! Besides my Luanne of course." He said as he hugged her.

After he broke the hug with Miley, she slid over to Bobby Ray's wife. "Aunt Noel." Miley said warmly as she embraced her uncle's second wife. Luanne was careful not to roll her eyes. She and Noel experienced several rough patches during Luanne's teenage years that made their relationship lukewarm at best.

"It is so good to see you again. You are gorgeous." Noel said.

Bobby Ray stepped forward to greet Lilly. "Lilly? My goodness! It's been… ten, twelve years since I've seen you; last time I came to Malibu. Didn't you turn out to be a pretty little filly!" Bobby Ray said as he hugged her.

"Thank you Bobby Ray." Lilly said with a slight blush in her cheeks.

Bobby Ray released the hug. "Ruthie told me about you two. Congrats. You two are brave girls. Just be careful. There are some mean people out there that'll try to getcha if you're not careful. I had to give the same speech to Luanne a few years ago."

"You did?" Miley asked, not knowing about Luanne's sexual proclivity.

"You and I have more in common than just looks, Cousin." Luanne said with a smirk, flashing a quick, almost imperceptible glance over at Jennifer.

"Lilly, this is my wife Noel. Noel, this is Lilly." Bobby Ray said.

"It's nice to meet you!" Noel said. "Ruthie told us all about you." She said as she gave Lilly a warm hug.

"Good things I hope." Lilly said with a chuckle.

"You just cost yourself a biscuit, little girl." Ruthie teased.

"I'm sorry Mamaw!" Lilly quickly repented as she gave Ruthie a hug.

"I was just teasin' Lilly." Ruthie said.

"I knew that!" Lilly exclaimed as everyone laughed.

"Well Miley, your father called." Ruthie said. "He said he'll be here in about 45 minutes so we're gonna go ahead and eat. I got plenty of food. He can fix a plate when he gets here."

"Food! Oh boy!" Lilly whisper-yelled as everyone headed for the dining room.

"Don't get too happy, Truscott." Jennifer whispered. "This meal's gonna cost you a C-note."

"Even if you beat me, I'll get it right back when Devil Woman makes a pass at you." Lilly countered.

"Mamaw?" Miley said. "You've got more house back here!"

"Yeah. With Vickie's kids and friends and Bobby and Noel comin' by, I thought it was gettin' a little cramped so I added on a family room behind the dining room." Ruthie said.

"And you bought a big screen TV?" Miley wondered aloud.

"Plasma. Sixty-five inches with satellite. It was a Christmas gift from Noel and me. No more dog-eared antennas for my momma." Bobby Ray said.

"I want a sixty-five inch plasma TV." Lilly pouted as they sat down at the table.

"We'll buy one for the house." Miley said.

"Noel, Luanne, Miley, come help me bring the food out." Ruthie said.

"I can help too." Lilly said.

"The Stewart women can handle it." Ruthie said. "Enjoy your family guest status while you have it, 'cause when Miley puts that ring on your finger, I put you to work." Ruthie said lovingly.

"I'll be back." Miley said as she kissed Lilly on the forehead and went into the kitchen.

"So you two are movin' to Tennessee, huh?" Bobby Ray said.

"Yes sir! Miley and I are starting a new chapter of our lives with her record deal and me starting a charter school." Lilly said.

"A charter school!" Robby Ray said. "Helpin' the youth of today become somethin' in life is very noble. So where are you gonna open it?"

"Since Miley and I are moving to the Nashville area, I figured on opening it there." Lilly said.

"You know, Noel and I have a friend that's movin' from Knoxville to Nashville pretty soon and she's a teacher. I know she'd jump at the chance of openin' a new school. I could give you her number if you want."

"That'd be great! It'll probably be a few months. We've got to find a house and get set up." Lilly said as the other women brought in the first batch of food.

"If you and Miley are looking for houses near Nashville, there are some beautiful houses in Belle Meade." Noel said as she heard Lilly's last comment.

"Baby, those are some pricey houses!" Bobby Ray said.

"Well Bobby, your niece can afford it. Didn't you read the newspaper today?" Ruthie said. "She signed a forty million dollar record deal. Heck, she could buy all of Belle Meade if she wanted to."

"I don't get all that money up front, Mamaw. Just a signing bonus." Miley said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Yeah! Thirteen million!" Jennifer said.

"Let's… not talk about money right now. This is about family." Miley said.

"She's right." Luanne said as she started for the kitchen. Ruthie waved her off and gestured for her to sit down. Ruthie did the same for the Miley and Noel as well. "So when are you two getting married?"

"Well, we were gonna do it this week, but with the press conference and the house hunting, we're gonna wait until after we move." Lilly said.

"You know Mamaw's got a pretty garden out back. Before I swore off marriage, I had said that I wanted to get married back there." Luanne said.

"Let's say grace before the food gets cold." Ruthie said. "Noel, grace the food, sweetie."

Everyone held hands and bowed their heads as Noel very eloquently graced the food and asked God for Robby Ray's safe arrival. After they said their 'amens', everyone then sat down and began to dig in.

"So Luanne, you said you swore off marriage. Why?" Jennifer asked.

"I've learned that if you let people too close to you, they're gonna let you down. It's human nature. All of us are selfish at heart and marriage is founded on the principle of giving and sharing. It's contradictory and it is doomed to fail." Luanne said.

"That's a pessimistic outlook on things." Lilly said as she scooped mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"I actually see where she's coming from." Jennifer said. "I felt the same way when my parents got divorced. They were both selfish and became mean to each other and to me. That's why I lashed out at everybody. But then I realized one day that I was missing out on a lot of good people in my life. I mean, if hadn't come to that conclusion, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. Luanne just hasn't met the person or people that continually show her through their actions that they will be there for her, besides her family, I mean."

"Those people don't exist. I mean, family, okay. They're obligated to be there for you. But other people aren't." Luanne said.

"You know, the Bible says that to have friends, you have to be friendly." Jennifer said. "Have you ever tried being friendly instead of just expecting people magically show you loyalty?"

"Usin' the good book to prove her point. I like that." Robby Ray said.

"So just be friendly, open yourself up like a fool and have people use you? No thanks." Luanne said as she took a bite of her chicken.

"That's what you do to people so you expect people to do the same to you. But it doesn't have to be like that." Jennifer said.

"She's got a point, Luanne." Miley said. "I mean, Lilly slapped you silly the other day and today she's sitting down to supper with you."

"Obligation. She's your fiancée. You probably begged her to be nice to me." Luanne said.

"She didn't beg me." Jennifer said. "I'm not here out of obligation. Miley said she wanted to try to get to know her cousin and I volunteered to come as her friend to support her and try to get to know you."

"For her though." Luanne said.

"Yes for her." Jennifer said. "She's my friend. But I had a choice as to whether or not I wanted to stay here in Tennessee or fly back to California. I chose to stay with my friend and her family. That's what friends do. You should really try it sometime."

"That's a good idea. But let's stop analyzin' Luanne and move on to somethin' else." Ruthie said.

"It's okay Mamaw. I brought it on myself." Luanne said as a large thunderclap startled everyone as the lights flickered and then went off.

"It's all right. Just wait a minute." Ruthie said. Seconds later, the lights fluttered back to life. "The generator kicked in. We should be fine now."

Another twenty minutes of conversation went back and forth about various subjects. Every now and then the now quiet Luanne would dart her eyes back and forth at the other young women at the table. Every now and then she would catch the eye of Lilly, Miley and Jennifer who would all flash her a faint smile.

"I wonder if Dad is all right." Miley said as she pulled out her cell phone.

"You're not gonna get a signal during the storm sweetie." Ruthie said. Just then, the house phone rang. "Now people know better than to call somebody during a thunderstorm." She walked over to the phone and check the caller ID. "Hank Henderson? What does he want? Hello… Hi Robby Ray!... you did?... okay… thanks for callin' baby… okay. Bye." She came back to the table to sit down. "Robby Ray said the roads were gettin' bad so he stopped at Henderson's farm to wait it out."

"So he's about fifteen minutes from here." Bobby Ray said.

"Yeah. After dinner I'm gonna make him up a bed. He's not gonna go back out in this weather. None of you should." Ruthie said.

"We've got our stuff in the car Mamaw." Miley said. "I didn't want to make the drive back to Nashville tonight. If that's all right with you."

"Of course it's all right. I always prepare for overnight company." Ruthie said. "I tell you what, you and Lilly take one room, Robby Ray and Bobby Ray take one, Luanne can share with Jennifer and Noel can stay with me. Unfortunately, the fifth bedroom is a storage space right now."

"I didn't bring a change of clothes with me." Luanne said.

"That's okay. We're about the same size. You can borrow something from me." Jennifer said. Luanne looked at her with a puzzled look on her face trying to figure her out.

"Now that the sleepin' arrangements are taken care of, who wants dessert?" Ruthie asked.

"I'm still not finished with dinner." Lilly said.

Jennifer watched Lilly pick up her plate for a fourth helping of chicken, mashed potatoes, greens and sweet corn and looked down at her three-quarter eaten third plate. "Me either! May I have some more chicken please?" Jennifer asked excitedly.

"Sure, darlin'." Ruthie said as she handed the plate to Bobby Ray to hold for Jennifer. "Huh. If I didn't know better, I'd think you two were racin' or somethin'."

"I've never seen two petite women eat so much food before." Noel said.

"We just have… ravenous appetites." Jennifer said as she went forkful for forkful with Lilly.

Bobby Ray leaned behind his wife over to Miley who was sitting to Noel's right. "How much was the bet for?" He asked.

"A hundred bucks." Miley whispered.

"Your daddy took me for fifty last time." Bobby Ray said as Miley smiled and straightened up.

Dinner finished with Lilly and Jennifer finishing four plates a piece. The thunderstorm died down and Robby Ray called to say that he would be there shortly. After everyone enjoyed the apple cobbler for dessert, a satisfied hush fell over the table.

"Momma, you put your foot in supper again." Bobby Ray said. "That makes, what, fifteen, twenty thousand suppers in a row now?"

"Just call me the Cal Ripken of supper makin'." Ruthie said, referring to the baseball player that didn't miss a game for over sixteen years. "Well… let me start cleanin' up."

"No! Please, I'd be honored if you let me do it." Jennifer said. "I never had a big family meal to clean up after when I was growing up."

"You don't have to do that." Ruthie said.

"Mamaw, I insist." Jennifer said sweetly.

"She called me Mamaw." Ruthie said with a warm smile. "Okay. If you really want to. Thank you darlin'."

"Since you fixed all the food Mamaw, I'll… help her." Luanne said to the surprise of her grandmother and her father and stepmother. Luanne didn't want to so much as make her bed up growing up and was still a bit messy as an adult despite her fashionable wardrobe.

"Thank you Luanne." Ruthie said with a hint of surprise in her voice as she stood and kissed Luanne on the forehead.

Lilly looked at Miley and then Jennifer with an I-told-you-so look on her face after Luanne volunteered to help Jennifer with the cleanup. Miley simply raised an eyebrow and Jennifer gave her a 'whatever' look.

Soon afterward, the front door opened and they heard footsteps approaching the dining room.

"I made it!" Robby Ray said with a smile. His mother walked over and kissed him on one cheek while she patted the other one. Bobby Ray stood up and walked over to greet his brother.

"Man, you sure are a handsome devil!" Bobby Ray joked as he went to hug his carbon copy.

"Funny, I was gonna say the same thing about you." Robby Ray said with a chuckle. "How've you been?"

"Livin' and lovin', brother. Livin' and lovin'." Bobby Ray said.

"And quite well by the looks of your wife. Hi Sis." Robby Ray said as he went to embrace his sister-in-law.

"Hey, brother-in-law." Noel greeted him warmly.

"Hey girls." Robby Ray said as he kissed Miley, Jennifer and Lilly on the cheek. "Hi Luanne. How are you?" He said as he hugged his niece.

"I'm good Uncle Rob." Luanne said, using the name that her father calls his brother by.

"Jennifer, Luanne, fix Robby Ray a plate please." Ruthie said. Robby Ray showed surprise that Jennifer was asked to fix his plate. "Jennifer and Luanne volunteered to do the dishes."

"Well, just make sure you fix it country style. Lots of vittles." Robby Ray said.

"Trust me Dad. You have nothin' to worry about there." Miley said, remembering how Jennifer piled her own plate high.

Jennifer and Luanne fixed Robby Ray's plate and gave it to him. He went out into the family room with the others, leaving Jennifer and Luanne in the dining room alone. They set about clearing plates and bowls off the table. After everything had been moved into the kitchen, they went about divvying up the duties.

"Big stuff in the dishwasher, I wash, you dry?" Jennifer asked.

"Fine with me." Luanne said. They started out loading the dishwasher with pots, pans and silverware before moving on to washing the rest of the dishes.

They washed the dishes in silence for about ten minutes before Luanne looked over at Jennifer, still trying to figure her out. "Most people don't like talking to me. What's your story?" Luanne asked.

"Who said I like talking to you?" Jennifer replied. Luanne, actually appearing to be stung by the remark, took the first plate from Jennifer after she washed it and dipped it into the rinse sink. Jennifer then spoke again. "You remind me a lot of myself."

"You're an international pop superstar with a mansion and butlers and I'm a junior accountant three years out of college tryin' to make ends meet. Excuse me if I don't see the resemblance." Luanne said.

"Okay, first of all, no mansion, no butlers and the star faded a couple of years ago." Jennifer said. "And second, I've only briefly talked to you but I know your deal. You feel like life dealt you an inferior hand while other people you know have more than you do and you feel like you deserve it, so you snap at everybody trying to make them just as miserable as you feel inside all the while putting on the cocky bravado like nothing bothers you." Jennifer then handed Luanne another dish. The Tennessee beauty looked at Jennifer for a moment before snatching the dish and dunking it down in the water.

"You California people think you're so smart." Luanne scoffed defensively. "You think you know everything." She said as she snatched another dish from Jennifer's soapy hand.

"You're right. We think we're smart. But we don't know everything." Jennifer retorted as she continued washing dishes. Luanne simmered inside, feeling the stinging effects of Jennifer's pinpoint analysis.

"So how did you become so centered? Did your thousand dollar-an-hour shrink talk you off the ledge?" Luanne snapped.

"No." Jennifer said as she handed Luanne another dish. "I just woke up one day and decided that I was tired of being angry at the world for being the world. I couldn't beat it, so I decided to join it."

Luanne was rendered silent by Jennifer's words. _Who does this wannabe popstar think she is? Nobody beats me at my own psych out game. _Luanne thought as she stood there. A couple of tense, silent moments went by before Jennifer spoke again.

"Look, Lilly and Miley are going to Nashville tomorrow to go house hunting. I was gonna do some shopping. You wanna go with me?" Jennifer asked.

Luanne grew suspicious. "Why? What are you up to?" Luanne asked.

"I'm showing myself to be friendly." Jennifer said.

Luanne chuckled. "You want to be my friend?" Luanne asked incredulously.

"People like you and me have to be dragged kicking and screaming into functional relationships with people. We don't go willingly." Jennifer said.

"So now we're in a relationship?" Luanne asked sarcastically.

Jennifer grew mildly irritated. "Not a 'relationship' relationship… Look, I am going to be sleeping in the same bed with you tonight. The least we can do is get along and be friendly toward one another. Do you think you can do that?" Luanne didn't respond. "Now do you want to go shopping with me or what?"

"You don't give up, do you?" Luanne asked.

"Ask me another question and I'm taking a page out of Lilly's book and slapping the side of your face onto the floor." Jennifer said.

Luanne waited several heartbeats before responding. "Most of the stores in Nashville open at ten on Saturdays. That means we should leave here around seven." Luanne said.

Jennifer narrowed her eyes as she gave Luanne a mild glare. "You could have said that three minutes ago." Jennifer said as she handed Luanne the last dish.

Luanne pulled the dish out and quickly dried it with a smirk on her lips. "I couldn't help it." Luanne said as she tossed the dishtowel onto the counter. "You're cuter when you're irritated."

As was her signature, Luanne delivered her walk-off zinger before she spun on her heels and walked out of the kitchen past Lilly, who was coming in to get Miley and Ruthie something to drink. Luanne smirked, gently grabbed Lilly's arm just above the elbow and looked over her shoulder at Jennifer who was letting water out of the drain and drying her hands. Lilly looked down at Luanne's hand on her arm and then back up at her. "Spunky." Luanne whispered to Lilly. "I like her. Tomorrow's gonna be fun." She then released Lilly's arm and walked toward the family room.

Lilly shook her head and continued into the kitchen, walking over to Jennifer, standing behind her for a moment.

Jennifer turned her head to look at Lilly. "What?"

"Tomorrow?" Lilly asked.

"We're going shopping while you and Miley go house hunting." Jennifer said. Lilly looked at Jennifer with a blank stare for a moment. Jennifer huffed and rolled her eyes before she reached in the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, thrusting it out at Lilly.

Lilly took the bill and gave Jennifer a dry smile. "What's this for, the food bet or the flirt bet?" Lilly said.

Jennifer began walking toward the door. Without turning around she called out behind her. "I guess you'll never know, now will you?" She said sarcastically.

Lilly looked down at the bill and flipped it over several times. "As irritable as you were just now, I think I know." Lilly then added something to her own out loud thought. "I think tomorrow will be fun."

* * *

**So… what are you thinking so far? Is Back to the Future all I made it out to be? I think we're gonna look in to see how Jackson is doing in DC next. Thank you for coming this far. We've just gotten started. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	4. Capital Investment

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: We are stepping away from Tennessee for a spell to check on Jackson and his trip to Washington, DC. Now normally I would just mention a trip like this in passing, but since I am devoting a whole chapter to it, then you know something important must be happening. So sit back, relax and enjoy. **

**By the way, the name of the female character in this chapter is pronounced TAM-era with emphasis on the first syllable, not Ta-MERA like the twin from Sister Sister, if you're familiar with that show.**

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* * *

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 4**

**Capital Investment**

**Friday, September 22, 2017 – Ronald Reagan National Airport - Arlington, Virginia**

Jackson's plane touched down at Reagan National Airport, just a stone's throw from downtown Washington, D.C., just after 9 am. Jackson had a meeting with the concert promoter for his sister's upcoming tour. The fifteen-city tour would coincide with the release of Miley's first album as Miley Stewart. Before that, she hadn't released anything since her last album as Hannah Montana nearly six years earlier. Jackson was determined to have everything go right for his little sister.

To say that Jackson and Miley had grown closer was an understatement. As much as they annoyed one another as teenagers, they had become as close as a brother and sister could be as adults. They text messaged each other several times a day and always had a kind word for each other. After Robby Ray went into the hospital several years earlier for what they thought was a heart attack, which turned out to be an angina attack brought on by stress, they vowed to each other to not bicker over petty things because they knew that the next day was not promised to them.

Jackson had worked hard to set this tour up and personally traveled to every city to ensure that preparations were going exactly as planned. Washington, D.C. was the seventh stop on the tour, scheduled to begin in May. He was of the mindset that as long as things went according to plan, he would be a happy camper, therefore, his baby sis would be happy as well. His plan for a smooth trip to the nation's capital, however, was thwarted as soon as he stopped at the baggage claim area for his bags.

Jackson pulled his two bags off of the conveyor for his two day trip to D.C. He was flying back home to Malibu on Sunday. As he was about to walk away from the baggage carousel, his cell phone rang.

"Jackson Stewart."

"_Jackson, Tom Qualls from Capital Productions. How was the flight?"_

"Smooth sailing. What can I do for you?"

"_I'm afraid I'm not gonna be able to meet with you today. I've been pulled on to another project. I know you came to D.C to go over logistics with me but I've given all the details to my replacement and I arranged for you to meet with her this morning." _Tom said.

"No problem." Jackson replied. "I'm gonna drop my bags at the hotel and then come to your office."

"_Well, that's the catch. She's not in the office. She's out at Merriweather Post Pavilion setting up for The Jonas Brothers Reunion Show." _Tom said.

"Merriweather? Damn Tom! If you had told me that yesterday, I could have flown into BWI!" Jackson said, referring to BWI Airport's close proximity to Merriweather's location in suburban Maryland. He was about 40 miles away from the outdoor pavilion from his hotel's location in Southwest Washington.

"_I'm really sorry about the short notice Jackson. I just found out about the switch when I walked in this morning. But look, Tamera Carson is one of the best. I put you in good hands." _Tom said.

"I'm gonna trust you on this one Tom. You haven't let me down so far." Jackson said.

"_And she won't either." _Tom said.

"All right T.Q. I'll call you later and let you know how things went." Jackson said.

"_Okay buddy. Talk to you soon."_

With that, Tom hung up. Jackson snapped his phone shut and muttered to himself.

"Dang Flabbit. Step off the plane into a field full of cow patties." Jackson mumbled. "Momma said there'd be days like this. There'd be days like this, momma said." Jackson spoke the words to his favorite version of the song by Sam Cooke.

Jackson picked up his rental car and dropped his bags off at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in town before heading out to Merriweather Post Pavilion out in Columbia, Maryland. Everyone from Iron Maiden to Roberta Flack to Sheryl Crow to REM has performed at Merriweather and although Miley's concert was going to be at Nissan Pavilion in Northern Virginia, Jackson had Merriweather on his final list of D.C/Baltimore area venues.

He arrived at Merriweather around 11:30 and immediately went to the stage area. There was a busy hum in the facility as preparations were underway for The Jonas Brothers performance that night. Being used to such an environment, he knew how to maneuver to stay out of the way.

"Excuse me." Jackson said to one of the stage hands. "I'm looking for Tamera Carson."

The stage hand, a tall African-American man in his twenties in a dark t-shirt and jeans, stopped for a moment. "Look for the fine honey with a clipboard and an attitude. That's her." The man said before resuming his travel across the stage.

"Thanks." Jackson said to the back of the man's head as he walked away. Jackson continued backstage, walking amidst sound equipment and cables. Another stage hand, a petite Asian female came breezing by. "Excuse me? Tamera Carson?"

"Over there." The young woman pointed over her shoulder to the corner of the backstage area as she hustled by.

"Over… there." Jackson said as he peered across the stage. He saw an attractive young African-American woman in her mid-to-late twenties with straight brown hair past her shoulders having a very animated discussion with a young Caucasian male that he assumed was a subordinate. As he got closer, he could make out part of the conversation.

"They will be here any minute for a sound check and we have to do our own sound check before they arrive!" The woman exclaimed in irate fashion. "What the hell do you mean the mics aren't set up yet?"

"The case with the mics got misplaced and…" The young man tried to explain.

"Well if they had been staged properly like I suggested, that wouldn't have happened, now would it?" The woman scoffed.

"I guess not." The young man said.

"You guess not." She said in sarcastic fashion. "Well I guess that you have five minutes to set the damn mics up before I lose my patience and you lose your job. Five minutes, three mics. Okay, Skippy?" She said before looking over and seeing Jackson there.

"Great. The band is starting to arrive." She said in sarcastic defeat before turning back to her underling, who was standing there like a deer caught in the headlights. "GO! SET THE DAMN MICS UP! JESUS!" The young man went sprinting off to find the mic case. She then turned back to Jackson who, by his appearance in a leather blazer, t-shirt, jeans and boots, she assumed to be a member of the band. Her face instantly changed as she flashed a smile. "Hi. I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm Tamera Carson. You must be with the band. The green room is set up. There's fruit and stuff in there…"

"Oh… I'm not with the band, I'm…" Jackson started.

"Wasting my time." As instantly as she flashed the smile, she returned to her shrew-like state as she started walking away. Jackson smiled to himself and began following her. Sensing his presence, she continued her invective. "I have a sound check to do and I'm meeting with Miley Stewart's brother slash road manager so whatever it is, tell it to my assistant. Her name is Kimber." Just then Jackson's cell phone went off.

"Jackson Stewart." When Jackson said that, Tamera stopped dead in her tracks, afraid to turn around to face him. "Hey Miles… Yeah, I'm out at Merriweather… I know you're supposed to be at Nissan. I just met the concert promoter who just treated me like I was a pebble in the sole of her shoe aaaand I have to help her take her foot out of her mouth." Tamera slowly turned around with as sheepish a look on her face as Jackson had ever seen. "Yeah… I will. Kiss Mamaw for me… You too… Bye." Jackson closed his phone slowly as he smiled and cocked his head to one side.

"So… on the scale of biggest asshole you've ever met, where do I rate?" Tamera asked with a wince.

"A seven." Jackson said calmly. "You had good sarcasm and narcissistic rage, but you lost points for lack of swearing."

"So I'm an above average asshole." Tamera said.

"You've got a chance to redeem yourself. Jackson Stewart." Jackson said as he extended his hand.

"Tamera Carson." Tamera said as she shook his hand.

"You've got a sound check to do so I'm just gonna hang out…" Jackson said.

"Feel free to grab something from the green room. There's fruit, juice, cookies." Tamera said.

"Thanks. And… can I give you a piece of advice?" Jackson asked.

"Okay." Tamera said with an incredulous chuckle.

"That kid was terrified of screwing up. A kind word from you would make his day bright right about now." Jackson offered.

Tamera looked quizzically at Jackson. "Enjoy your fruit." She said with a head nod as she turned and walked toward the front of the stage.

Jackson milled around for a little while backstage. When the Jonas Brothers arrived, he greeted and chatted with them for a few minutes before their sound check. About forty-five minutes later, the sound check was finished and after saying his goodbyes to the brothers, he waited for a few more minutes before Tamera entered the green room.

"Finally." Tamera said as she walked in and sat down in the leather chair opposite Jackson. "Did you enjoy your fruit?"

"It was fruitalicious." Jackson said.

"Good." Tamera said. "I want to apologize for the whole asshole thing earlier. It's been a rough morning."

"No apology necessary. I don't offend easily." Jackson said. "Which… around you is a good thing."

Tamera chuckled. "I'm only half as crabby as you saw this morning."

"That's okay. I'm only half as charming as I usually am." Jackson countered.

"Oh… I get it. This is where you flirt with me and I give you the little feminine giggle that lets you know I'm interested and we banter back and forth until you wear me down and I accept a dinner invitation from you." Tamera said with her sarcasm on full display.

Jackson, knowing from experience what he was up against, changed tactics. "No. I was just being nice and making small talk." Jackson smiled. "So Miley is really excited about coming to D.C…"

"Wait a minute." Tamera said. "That's it?"

"That's what?" Jackson asked.

"You throw out a line, I shoot it down like a scud missile and you give up?" Tamera asked. Jackson saw in his mind that the interest on her part was clearly there.

"Oh… I get it." Jackson said, mirroring her comment from a moment earlier. "This is where you act wounded that I ceased what I perceived to be a fruitless effort to mack on you, bruising your ego in the process because men hit on you on a daily basis and you've become accustomed to the attention. And when you meet a cute, eligible bachelor that you have interest in because of his wit and he wants to talk business, you're a little taken aback because you don't quite know how to read his signals."

Tamera looked at Jackson blankly. "No. I was just being nice and making small talk." Tamera then smirked.

Jackson smirked. "Have you gotten all of the flirting out of your system?" He asked.

"I'm not flirting with you!" Tamera exclaimed in conversational tone.

"You're flirting because you haven't just shut me down and moved on to business." Jackson said. "If you didn't want to continue this tone of conversation you would have shut me down with the quickness."

"With the quickness." Tamera said. "I haven't heard that since Mystikal."

"Here I go! Here I go! It's the man right chea (right here)!" Jackson said, rapping the hook to Mystikal's song, Mind of Mystikal.

Tamera laughed. "What do you know about that?" She asked.

"What? You think 'cause I'm white, I don't know about Mystikal?" Jackson teased. "I don't assume because you're black you don't know about… Nickelback."

"I love Nickelback." Tamera said with a smile.

"See what I mean?" Jackson said. "I listen to Mystikal, DMX, Jay-Z, Fiddy and you listen to…"

"Daughtry, Rascal Flatts, Christina Aguilera and Elvis Costello." Tamera said with a smirk.

"A cultural melting pot of auditory preference." Jackson said.

The door opened and the same young man that Tamera had chastised before stepped in. "I'm… sorry to bother you Tamera, but the lighting guys have a couple of questions."

"I'll be right there." Tamera said. The young man nodded and stepped backward to close the door.

"Kenny?" Tamera called out to him. He stepped forward. "I'm sorry about earlier. You've been working your tail off today. Things get misplaced. Don't sweat it."

Kenny cracked a small, toothless smile. "Thanks… thank you." He said as he nodded and then retreated.

Tamera turned around to Jackson and her finger shot up in the air. "Not… a word. That wasn't because of what you said. He's a good worker and people are productive when they feel like they're appreciated." She said. "I have to go talk to the lighting guys."

"Well since we accomplished nothing but establishing your repressed sexual desire for me…" Tamera's mouth flew open and a single audible chuckle came out as Jackson spoke. "I propose that we have a working breakfast tomorrow to discuss our business."

"Proposing so soon, Mister Stewart? We just met." Tamera teased. "And what? No dinner invitation over wine to get me drunk and try to take advantage of me?"

"I don't need to get women drunk. Besides, you have a concert tonight. You'll have to be patient if you want to get at me. I don't give it up on the first date." Jackson shot back.

"We're not having a date. It's a working breakfast at nine o'clock at the Capital Hilton on the corner of 16th and K Northwest." Tamera said.

"It's a date then, I mean, it's a breakfast." Jackson said with a smirk.

Tamera shook her head and smirked as she stood up, heading for the door. "Have a good day, Mister Stewart!" She said as she left, not looking at Jackson.

"You as well, Miss Carson!" Jackson called out. When the door closed, Jackson popped his collar. "Yep. She wants me." He said before striding confidently for the door and exiting stage right.

* * *

The next morning, Jackson arrived at the Capital Hilton at 8:30 in anticipation of his breakfast with Tamera. While awaiting her arrival, Jackson ordered a cup of coffee and thumbed through the USA Today newspaper he picked up from the host station. About ten minutes into his reading, a voice broke his concentration.

"You clean up well Mister Stewart." Jackson looked up to see Tamera standing at the table. Tamera was referring to Jackson's navy blue pinstripe suit with a cornflower blue shirt open at the collar. Jackson took in the sight of Tamera's black pants suit with a metallic pink blouse and power heels and was equally impressed.

"Not looking so bad yourself Miss Carson." Jackson said. "Please." Jackson stood up and pulled out the chair across from him for her.

"Thank you." Tamera said. The server saw her and came over to the table. "Coffee, regular and a glass of grapefruit juice please." The server nodded and went off on her way.

"So how was the concert?" Jackson asked.

Tamera sighed. "Successful… and tiring. But it was all in a day's work, which we will have to do in May for your sister." Tamera said.

"Before we talk about that, I just wanted to apologize if I came on a little strong yesterday. It's an old habit I've been trying to break." Jackson said.

"You saw something you wanted and you went for it. No shame in that. It's an admirable quality." Tamera said.

"Oh? What exactly did I want?" Jackson asked playfully.

"See, you just apologized for the flirting and you started again." Tamera said with a grin, shaking her finger at Jackson.

"I did not!" Jackson said.

Tamera lapsed into an impression of Jackson. "Oh? What exactly did I want?" She said in a close approximation of Jackson's voice.

"That wasn't bad. You do me better than most women." Jackson said before catching the double entendre. "That didn't come out right."

"That came out exactly the way you intended it." Tamera said. "Will you just ask me out so I can say yes and we can get to our meeting please?"

"But, this is my last night in town. I don't know if I'll be back before May." Jackson said.

"Well you better ask quick then." Tamera said.

"How about dinner at Morton's tonight at eight?" Jackson said.

"You can't get a table at Morton's on such short notice." Tamera said. Morton's is a popular steakhouse in downtown D.C. that is frequented by the powerful political elite.

"My last name is Stewart and I'm Miley's brother. I can get a table at Morton's." Jackson said.

"All right, Mister Big Time. Morton's at eight it is." Tamera said.

"So where do I pick you up?" Jackson said.

"I'll meet you there." Tamera replied. "I don't know you well enough to have you coming to my house."

Jackson cocked his head to the side. "It's because I'm white, isn't it?" Jackson teased.

Tamera laughed. "It's not… because you're white! My last boyfriend was white. It's because you could be a murderer or a rapist like on Law and Order. CHUNG CHUNG!" She said, adding the famous Law and Order sound at the end of her sentence.

"So Morton's, eight o'clock, no racial profiling, we're good." Jackson said.

"Has anybody told you that you're crazy?" Tamera said.

"Has anybody told me that I'm not crazy? That's the question you should ask." Jackson said. "Now, how about we eat and discuss my sister's concert."

Tamera smirked and nodded her head. "Miley's concert. Right." She said with a smile as she began giving Jackson her plan for pulling off a successful show.

* * *

Eight o'clock saw Jackson standing at the host station inside Morton's awaiting the arrival of his dinner date. At roughly three minutes after the hour, Jackson spotted Tamera through a throng of people that had congregated at the door. After two quick scans inside, Tamera spotted Jackson, who had signaled to the host that his party had arrived.

"A shirt and tie this time. More fashion points for you." Tamera said as she walked up to her date.

"And you actually have legs – nice legs. You've earned a few points yourself." Jackson countered, taking note of Tamera's dress just before the host escorted them to the table.

A server immediately came over to the table and took their drink orders.

"So do you always go by Tamera or do you have a shortened name? Tammy? Tam? Tee?" Jackson asked.

"Wow! You just jump right in don't you?" Tamera said.

"This is kind of the pace we've set. We kind of just let 'er rip." Jackson said.

"Okay." Tamera said. "The only people that call me Tammy are my father and my grandmother. Everyone else calls me Tamera."

"What does your mom call you?" Jackson asked.

"My mom… doesn't call me anything. I haven't seen her since I was four. She's… a crack addict. My father raised me." Tamera said.

"I'm sorry." Jackson said.

"You didn't know and I washed my hands of her a while ago so… what about Jackson?" Tamera asked. "Are you a Jack or Jackie or Jay?"

"Just plain old Jackson. My momma named me after the president." Jackson said.

"Andrew Jackson. Seventh president of the United States. Born March 15th 1767 in Waxhaws, North Carolina. Died June… 8th, 1845 in Nashville, Tennessee." Tamera recalled.

"Okay, that rode the fine line between being impressive and creepy." Jackson said.

"I was a history major in college. I wanted to be a teacher." Tamera explained. "I wrote a paper on Andrew Jackson my senior year. I actually got to see The Hermitage when my father went to visit my grandmother a few years ago."

"Your grandmother lives in Tennessee?" Jackson asked.

"She lives in Knoxville. Had to drive 200 miles to see Jackson's home but it was worth it." Tamera said.

"You're not gonna believe this but my grandmother lives in about an hour away from Knoxville!" Jackson said.

"No way! Seriously? Where?" Tamera asked excitedly.

"Misty Hollow." Jackson said.

"I know exactly where that is!" Tamera said. "My grandmother owns some land in Wears Valley! Wow! Whatta small world!"

"It is small. Did you grow up down there?" Jackson asked.

"No. I grew up here. I went to high school in the city then I graduated from Howard." Tamera said. "How about you?"

"We lived in Misty Hollow until I was twelve. We moved to California when my mother died." Jackson said.

"I can tell by the sound of your voice that you still miss her." Tamera said.

"I do." Jackson said. "Sometimes it's tough because Miley looks so much like her."

Just then the server came back with the drinks and they placed their dinner order.

"So how did you go from history teacher wannabe to concert promoter?" Jackson asked.

"Well, I had an internship with a local hip-hop station and they sponsored a few shows and… I fell in love with it. Don't get me wrong. I love history, I mean, The History Channel is my favorite. But I really love putting shows together."

"It is a rush." Jackson said.

"So how was it being the brother of a teenage pop star?" Tamera asked.

"A living hell." Jackson joked causing Tamera to laugh. "Seriously, besides listening to the same songs over and over again, it wasn't that bad. I wasn't the best big brother back then… well let's face it, I was a tool…" Tamera laughed again. "But now I really appreciate everything she had to go through. That's why I want to be a part of what she's doing now. I get to help my sister do something she really loves to do."

"That's sweet." Tamera said with a smile.

"Plus I get to go on the road and meet hot concert promoters that think I listen to Linkin Park all day!" Jackson teased.

"I… made an assumption." Tamera said. "I made an ass of myself and my ump shunned me." Tamera said in a play on the breakdown of the word assumption. "But I'm cool now."

"Cool enough to go out with me again when I come back in December for a status report?" Jackson said.

"I could give you that over the phone." Tamera said.

"But then I wouldn't have an excuse to ask you out again." Jackson said.

"Why don't we see if this date ends successfully before we go planning another one." Tamera said.

"The way I see it, I've got a twenty point lead and I'm dribbling out the clock." Jackson said.

"I think your scoreboard is broken, buddy!" Tamera said. "You've got a one point lead with five seconds left and I've got the ball in the front court."

"You a basketball fan?" Jackson inquired.

"The Washington Wizards all the way, baby!" Tamera said.

"My Lakers come here in December. You and I are going to that game." Jackson said.

"Just don't go embarrassing me by wearing a Lakers jersey." Tamera said.

"So you're saying yes." Jackson said.

"You had me with the basketball analogy." Tamera admitted.

"Stewart with the steal! And this game is over!" Jackson joked.

Moments later, their food arrived at the table.

Tamera chuckled. "Shut up and eat your food, funny guy." Tamera ordered playfully.

They both simultaneously shook their heads and smiled as they began eating their meals, each having the thought run through their heads that after only a short amount of time, it was the best date they had been on in a long while.

* * *

**I was in the mood to write some playful banter. So what do you think about Jackson and Tamera? I like them. I hope you do too.**

**(Lilly's voice) – "Next, in Back to the Future…"**

**Lilly and Miley go house hunting. Luanne and Jennifer go shopping. And Robby Ray calls on an old friend. Saturday in Nashville is next.**

**PLEASE REVIEW**


	5. Requiem of a Kiss

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: I swear when I wrote the last chapter that their trip to Nashville was next, but as I wrote, I got caught up in the four women interacting at the house in the morning. That's what this chapter is all about. Enjoy.**

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 5**

**Requiem of a Kiss**

Lilly was having another one of her dreams. From time to time, Lilly's dream world would provide her with wonderful nocturnal entertainment. As she lay sleeping in her soon-to-be grandmother-in-law's guest room, Lilly's subconscious mind decided to have a little fun with her yet again. This time, the trigger for her sleeping fantasy was a women's wrestling match that Robby Ray and Bobby watched on TV after the storm the night before.

(Lilly's dream)

_The wrestling announcer, Jim Ross, was calling the match at ringside along with Jerry "The King" Lawler. A capacity crowd at the Sommet (pronounced So-may) Center in Nashville was cheering._

"_And we are set for the WWE Women's Championship here in Nashville!" Jim Ross bellowed. The bell rang and the entrance music played. It was Miley's Hannah Montana hit, "Best of Both Worlds". _

_As the music blared, the ring announcer made the introduction. "This match is set for one fall and is for the WWE Women's Championship!" The crowd roared to life as Miley appeared at the top of the ramp in long hot pink and black spandex tights that showed off her curves. A matching pink and black sports bra-like top and hot pink wrestling boots completed her ensemble. Images of Miley flashed on the large video screen at the top of the entrance ramp as Miley stood bouncing on her toes, ready to come down to the ring. "Introducing first, from Malibu, California… she is the number one contender for the women's championship… Mileeeeeeeeyyy Stewwwwaaaaaaart!" Miley ran energetically down to the ring, playing to the fans as she ran. She then climbed into the squared circle and played to the crowd before her music began to die down and she looked toward the top of the ramp for her opponent._

_The lights in the arena started to flash and fireworks started shooting off as music for P. Diddy's D.I.D.D.Y started playing; only the lyrics were different…_

"_The L, the I, the L, the L, the Y, the L, the I, the L… It's Lilly! (Hold up!) It's Lilly!"_

_A charged up Lilly stood at the top of the ramp in a baby blue sports bra top and matching spandex trunk shorts that showed off the results of years of playing soccer and doing squat thrusts. She was ready to explode as she bounced, the championship belt secured tightly around her trimmed waist. "And also from Thousand Oaks, California… she is the WWE Women's Champioooonnnn… Lillyyyyyyy Truuuuuscooooooottt!"_

_Lilly played to the raucous crowd as she came down the ramp, hopped up on to the ring apron and them into the ring. After her music faded out and she handed her belt to the referee, the bell rang and she began circling Miley just her brown-haired lover/opponent did the same. Seconds before they locked up for the first time, Lilly stepped back and called for the microphone._

"_I can't! I can't do this! I can't fight you Miley!" Lilly said as the crowd started booing._

_Miley became enraged as she stepped forward getting nose-to-nose with Lilly as she began screaming into the microphone. "What do you mean you can't fight me? There are 18,000 people here! We're on national TV! Let's go!" Miley exclaimed as the crowd cheered her on._

"_I can't fight you… because… I love you so much and you look so hot in those pants…" The crowd roared its approval of Lilly's admission as they started the familiar chant, "WE WANT PUPPIES!", letting the ladies know that they want to see their breasts. Lilly continued. "You look so hot that… I just want to do this…"_

_Lilly then dropped the microphone, seized Miley by the back of her head and began kissing her with an all-consuming passion as the crowd erupted in cheers. Over the din of the rabid crowd, Lilly growled to Miley in between kisses. "You are so fucking hot. I need you right now. Right in the center of this ring." Miley was overwhelmed as she breathlessly said exclaimed between kisses, "Oh my god, Lilly! Lilly!..."_

"Lilly!"

Lilly snapped out of her dream roughly as her eyes shot open at the sound of Miley's voice. Lilly was lying in the bed in a black tank top and baby blue cotton pajama pants gripping a handful of Miley's hair. To say that Miley, who was standing at the side of the bed leaning over Lilly showered and fully dressed, was stunned to be overwhelmed by the sleeping Lilly was an understatement.

"That must have been one hell of a dream!" Miley said, whispering breathlessly as she wiped her mouth, trying to recover from Lilly's dream-induced onslaught. "I just came in to wake you up! I didn't know I was getting attacked!"

Lilly looked up at Miley with a libidinous fire blazing in her eyes. She released her grip in Miley's hair only to begin tugging at the bottom of Miley's shirt as she squirmed. "Please come back to bed and fuck me." Lilly purred. "I am so horny."

"I thought you said yesterday…" Miley started.

"Not yet." Lilly purred, indicating that nature had yet to call on her. She managed to pull Miley down to where one of Miley's knees was on the bed.

"But Mamaw's up and she's down the hall!" Miley whispered as she looked down at Lilly. At this moment Miley was conflicted as she had never seen look so good or so horny after just waking up.

"I'll be quiet. Please. I need you inside me now. This WILL NOT take long." Lilly whispered in such a sexily intense fashion that Miley was unable to refuse her. Miley positioned herself off to Lilly's left side as she lay down on her side next to Lilly and reached inside Lilly's pajama pants and began touching Lilly in the most intimate way. Lilly's eyes stretched and rolled into the back of her head as she tilted her head back. "Oh my god, yeah!" She whispered. Miley found her mark with each and every stroke of her fingers. Lilly was on fire. She looked at Miley with pleading eyes as she lifted up her tank top, pulling it just over her breasts. Miley began flicking one of Lilly's rock hard nipples with her tongue. The combination of the oral and digital stimulation took Lilly to the edge of orgasmic oblivion. Lilly arched her back and thrust her hips up toward Miley's hand as she aggressively sought her release. "Oh my… ghhhhhhhhhhhh!" Lilly bore down as quietly as she could as the powerful orgasm exploded inside her. Just seconds after her beautiful explosion, however, there was a faint knock on the bedroom door.

"Miley? Lilly?" Luanne called out softly.

Miley thought quickly as Lilly was in no condition to speak. "Lilly's getting undressed for her shower!" Miley called out just before looking devilishly at the recovering Lilly and placing her soaked fingers into her mouth teasing Lilly.

"Okay. Mamaw just wanted me to tell you that there's breakfast on the stove for us. She's going to the grocery store." Luanne said. "Jennifer and I will be in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Lu!" Miley said as she looked down at Lilly.

"Thank you Miley. I thought I was gonna explode." Lilly whispered.

Miley reached inside Lilly's pajamas and slowly ran her fingers along Lilly's slick wetness again causing the blonde to gasp. She then withdrew her fingers and held them up. "You did. See?" Miley said as she placed her fingers back into her mouth and moaned softly, enjoying Lilly's sweetness.

"I owe you big time." Lilly said.

"And I intend to collect. Now get showered up. I'm going to get some breakfast." Miley said as she delivered a kiss to Lilly's still-exposed nipple causing Lilly to draw breath between her teeth. Miley then stood up and winked at Lilly before walking to the door, opening it and disappearing down the hallway.

Miley walked into the kitchen to the sight of Luanne standing at the stove filling her plate with Mamaw's breakfast of country eggs and ham, pan fried potatoes, grits and biscuits.

"I'm gonna weigh six hundred pounds living here." Miley said to herself before raising her volume. "Morning gals!" She said as she sat down at the table across from Jennifer.

"Hey Miles." Jennifer said as she lit into her plate, shoveling food into her mouth.

Miley raised her eyebrow and smirked incredulously. "No one's gonna take your food from you." She said to the ravenously hungry brunette.

"She was like a caged animal in the bedroom when she smelled it cooking." Luanne said.

"How's Lilly? Where's Lilly?" Jennifer asked.

"She's getting showered and dressed…" Miley started before being cutoff.

"And she is more than fine this morning. Trust me." Luanne said with a knowing smirk, looking over her shoulder at the two women.

"You…" Miley said.

"I knocked on your door, remember?" Luanne said. "She was quiet, but not that quiet. Thank goodness it was me and not Mamaw at that door. Shame on you Miley Ray Stewart."

"Shame, hell! My baby needed me." Miley said.

"Forget her. She's mad cause she wants some and can't get any." Jennifer said.

"I am Victoria Luanne Stewart. I can get some anytime I want." Luanne said.

"Victoria is so pretty. Why do you go by Luanne?" Jennifer asked.

"See Miley, she's flirting with me." Luanne said. "I could name those panties in six moves." Jennifer looked at Luanne with a look of playful disdain. "Now to answer your question, Miss Pop Tart, I was named after my Aunt Vickie and, well, the family didn't want two Vickies running around. They already had Robby and Bobby."

"Well I'm calling you Victoria, no, Tori." Jennifer said.

"You two seem to be hitting it off well." Miley said. "Something you want to tell me… Jennifer?"

"About what?" Jennifer asked.

"Leave her alone Cousin." Luanne said. "I'll report to you when she's been properly turned out."

"Yoohoo! Hello! Girl who likes penis sitting right here!" Jennifer said, pointing at herself over her head.

"You've got bi-curious written all over your face." Luanne teased.

"Okay, this shopping trip seems like less of a good idea by the second." Jennifer said.

"She's just messing with you." Miley said. "It's what she does."

"I know." Jennifer said.

"That's right. It's what I do. And you're straight so you have nothing to worry about, right?" Luanne said. "I mean it's not like you… felt up Lilly or… kissed Miley before or something."

Jennifer felt a simmering heat begin to build inside her as Luanne hit a nerve. She thought back to her incidental kiss with Miley the week before.

_**FLASHBACK (excerpt from The Best of Both Worlds, chapter 5, You Did What?)**_

_Jennifer reached inside her pocket and pulled out a quarter. "Open your hand." Miley opened her left hand. Jennifer placed the quarter in her hand. "Now close your hand." Miley closed her hand. Jennifer then reached in her pocket and pulled out a 20 bill. "How can you take this 20 bill without opening your hand?" Jennifer paused for a moment to let the question sink in. "In order to accept something good in your life, you have to open yourself up to the possibility. Now you have that quarter securely in your hand. You want the twenty. Now if you open your hand you could drop the quarter, you could drop the twenty or if you're smart, you could hold on to the quarter and still grab the twenty. But it's all about taking the chance. You will never know… unless you try."_

"_So I can really have Lilly, the friend…" Miley said as she opened her hand enough to hold on to the quarter while taking the twenty from Jennifer. "and Lilly, the lover at the same time."_

"_Your other friends did it. Why can't you?" Jennifer asked._

"_Why can't I?" Miley said._

"_Well Dang Flabbit! I think she's got it." Jennifer said with a smile._

"_Who told you that you could use that?" Miley put her hands on her hips and pouted._

"_Who told you that you could take my twenty dollar bill?" Jennifer said as she playfully snatched the twenty from Miley's hand. They both laughed. "Look, I've got some stuff to do before my… appearance tonight. God! I feel like one of those wrestlers that run into the ring with a steel chair and starts bashing people in the head."_

"_London doesn't have any metal chairs in her house, I can promise you." Miley said with a smile. They both stood up. "Thank you so much Jennifer. Your pep talk really helped."_

"_You just make sure that come tonight, you get your girl." Jennifer said._

"_I will." Miley said softly and smiled as she stepped forward to embrace her. After the warm embrace, the two surprise friends slowly pulled away from each other, giving each other a brief smile. Then in the blink of an eye, they both leaned forward and pressed their lips together softly then parted their lips slightly for a deeper intimate kiss that lasted several seconds. And then, the light bulbs suddenly clicked inside both of their heads and the pulled away. Both of them were visibly flustered and embarrassed by their surprise kiss._

"_I… am… so… sorry… Miley… I… have never… Please… forgive me…" Jennifer stammered._

"_It's… okay." Miley paused for a second. "It… was a moment. It was… practice for tonight."_

"_Exactly! Practice… for tonight!" Jennifer said nervously. "Well, let me run. There's a dress on Rodeo Drive with my name on it!" Jennifer chuckled and turned quickly to head for the door._

"_One of us will call you!" Miley said to the retreating Jennifer._

"_I'll see you!" Jennifer said as she headed out the door. When she reached her car and climbed in, she sat behind the wheel staring into space. "What the hell did I just do? You just kissed Miley Stewart… for real!" Jennifer sat in silence contemplating her actions. "Jennifer Mikayla McGowan, you have truly lost your damned mind." She paused again. "You always manage to fall for the wrong person at the wrong time." She said dejectedly to herself before cranking up her car and backing out of the driveway._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

Jennifer came back from her remembrance hearing the sound of Luanne laughing.

"You know what?..." Jennifer then made up an excuse to get out of the kitchen. "My phone is vibrating. Excuse me." Jennifer then abruptly got up from the table and headed out of the kitchen. A few second later, Luanne and Miley could hear the front door close. Miley looked over at Luanne standing near the refrigerator and scowled.

"What did I say?" Luanne asked incredulously. "I was just joking!"

"Not everybody likes to be teased like that." Miley said as she stood up and went to follow Jennifer, leaving Luanne standing in the kitchen wondering what had just happened.

Jennifer stood out on the front porch of Ruthie's house on a beautifully bright morning in the eastern Tennessee valley. She didn't even realize that the nerve Luanne hit still existed. Before kissing Miley, she had never kissed another woman. However, the kiss she shared with her one-time rival had awakened something inside her that she hadn't felt before. Miley was with Lilly and she knew that wasn't about to change. She was attracted to Miley but she had suppressed it for the sake of her friend's new relationship with the woman of her dreams. Luanne's comment, however, was the key that reopened the Pandora's box that she desperately wanted to cement shut. She had never had unconditional friends like Miley and Lilly and she didn't want unrequited feelings for an unattainable woman ruin the friendship she so desperately needed.

"Jenn? Are you okay?" Miley asked as she stepped out onto the porch.

"I'm fine." Jennifer said. "She just knows how to push my buttons sometimes. You were right."

Miley took a moment to contemplate saying what was on her mind at that moment. "Look, she was just teasing. She didn't know anything about the kiss. Heck, Lilly doesn't know…"

"It's not about that!" Jennifer scoffed defensively. "I had forgotten about that."

"So it was just a coincidence that you bolted when she mentioned kissing me?" Miley said.

"What do you want me to say Miley, that it bothered me when she said that? It did. Okay?" Jennifer said. " I don't like being teased about my emotions. That's why I don't show them."

"Your emotions." Miley said. "So you had emotions about our kiss?"

"How do you…" Jennifer started and then paused. "How do you kiss somebody the way you kissed me and then just cavalierly mention it like we had a conversation about… politics?"

"So now you're mad at me for being nonchalant about our kiss?" Miley said.

"Stop saying our kiss!" Jennifer said. "Obviously WE did not share a kiss. Sharing indicates that two people get the same thing from the same experience and that did not happen."

"How do you know that? You never asked me. We never talked about it until this moment." Miley said. Jennifer had no reply. "It is obvious that you felt something in that kiss. I did too." Miley admitted. "Why wouldn't I? A beautiful, successful woman that I like as a person kisses me intimately in a moment of tenderness… I'd have to be a soulless robot not to feel something and… in another circumstance, another place and time, who knows? But my heart already belonged to Lilly… and it always will."

"I know that." Jennifer said softly. She dropped her head. When she lifted it, Miley saw a tear in her eye. "You know that I have never truly been in love? I'm almost thirty and I've never had anyone that made me feel like you did when you kissed me. It's that feeling that I want. It's that feeling that made me leave the kitchen because that kiss felt like it belonged to something more. Does that make any sense?"

"Right moment, right feeling, right kiss, wrong person." Miley said.

Jennifer sniffed as tears fell from her eyes. "This is why I don't show my emotions."

"Crying is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength." Miley said as she stepped forward and rubbed Jennifer's shoulders. "That person is out there. You'll find them. You will. And when you do, that kiss will blow what we had out of the water. You hear me?"

"We'd have made a great couple." Jennifer said as she chuckled through her tears.

"Mikayley? MikMiley? The name would have never worked." Miley joked.

"Are we cool?" Jennifer asked.

"We're cool." Miley said as she embraced Jennifer. "Just realize that you'll never get to kiss me again." Jennifer laughed. "But Luanne does look just like me…"

"She may look like you but you two are nothing alike." Jennifer said as they released the hug.

"If anyone can bust through the crusty exterior and get to the heart of a person it's you." Miley said. "After all, you learned it from me when I did it with you."

"I don't want to bust through any crusty exterior." Jennifer said.

"Well she does. It's obvious the way she looks at you." Miley said. "Just don't send any mixed signals if you're not interested."

"I am not saying that I am interested at all." Jennifer said. "But… if I became interested… that wouldn't be creepy for you, would it?" Jennifer probed.

"As long as you don't call my name out in bed with her, I won't be creeped out." Miley said.

"I take back what I said earlier. THIS is why I don't show my emotions." Jennifer said.

Miley laughed. "Come on. We need to get going. All of us have a two-hour drive ahead of us." She said with a smile before the two friends turned to go into the house. As they stepped through the front door, Jennifer almost ran into Lilly who was coming outside to get them.

"OH!" Jennifer said, narrowly missing Lilly. "I'm sorry!"

"That's okay." Lilly said. "Everything cool? Luanne said y'all came out here to talk."

"Everything's fine. We're good to go." Miley said.

"Great. Well, let's get going. We're supposed to meet Tom by eleven." Lilly said referring to their real estate agent.

"I'm gonna go tell Luanne I'm ready." Jennifer said. "Thanks for the talk Hannah Banana."

"Anytime… Pop Tart." Miley said with a smile as Jennifer headed for the kitchen.

Lilly then wrapped her hands around Miley's waist. "You are a wonderful friend." Lilly said warmly as she kissed Miley.

"I try." Miley said sweetly.

"I can't blame her for feeling something when you two kissed. Happens to me with you all the time." Lilly said sweetly.

"Oh. You heard that?" Miley asked flatly.

"I came to the door earlier to come get you. I almost flew out here, guns blazing, but something inside me said, 'Listen', so I did." Lilly said.

"I'm sorry…" Miley started.

"We weren't dating then. You don't have to apologize." Lilly said as she held Miley. "But if you ever withhold information like that from me again, I will never have another erotic dream about you again." Lilly said with a smile.

"What got you so worked up this morning anyway?" Miley asked.

"Let's just say that the next time the WWE comes to Nashville, we're going." Lilly purred.

"Me and you in tight spandex, huh?" Miley asked.

Lilly smirked. "Do you smell what the Lil is cookin'?" Lilly asked, paraphrasing the pro wrestler, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

"I sure do. And that's the bottom line, 'cause Miley Ray… said so." Miley punctuated her Stone Cold Steve Austin imitation with a kiss.

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**I was not even going here when I first started writing this chapter. It just had a mind of its own. I hope you enjoyed it. Now, the trip to Nashville really is next. Come on back. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	6. On the Road Again

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: I had another chapter go off and have a mind of its own. They're not in Nashville yet, but they're getting there. By the way, this is an extreme M-rating alert for later on in this chapter… EXTREME.**

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 6**

**On the Road Again**

As Lilly and Miley buckled in for their three hour drive to Nashville, something occurred to Lilly that caused her nose to crinkle in thought. The ever-observant Miley took note of Lilly's contorted facial expression and decided to find out what had the beautiful blonde so perplexed.

"What's wrong Lil? Did you forget something?" Miley asked as Lilly cranked up the car.

"Yeah, I did." Lilly said. "I just remembered that Jenn told me about the kiss the same night we got together. I'm getting old. That just happened six days ago!"

"A lot of stuff has happened in the last six days." Miley said before leaning toward Lilly with a Cheshire cat grin on her lips. "All of it very good as far as I'm concerned." Lilly returned the mischievous grin as their lips met for an erotic kiss. About six seconds into the kiss, a car horn blared behind them startling them.

"JESUS!" Lilly exclaimed as they both looked out of the rear view window to see Luanne behind the wheel of her car and Jennifer sitting shotgun giving them a look of mock disapproval. Seconds later, Miley's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Miley said.

"_You want to slob her down on your own time? You're blocking us in." _Jennifer said.

"I'm gonna be nicer to you when I see Luanne lean over and slob you down." Miley shot back.

"_Okay, bye!" _Jennifer said quickly before hanging up, causing Miley to chuckle.

"That oughta shut her up." Miley said smugly as she snapped her phone shut.

"Do you really think Luanne and Jenn…" Lilly started.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Miley said.

"But Jenn hasn't even come out!" Lilly said as she began pulling out of the circular driveway.

"I don't know. I just get a vibe from them." Miley said. She then switched gears in the conversation. "Babe, are you sure you want to drive?"

"Tennessee is gonna be our home and Mamaw's house is gonna be our home away from home. I need to get used to driving it sooner than later." Lilly said.

"Well, I always get sleepy on long car trips so if I drift off to sleep…" Miley started.

"I'll just glance over every now and then at your thighs. That is why you wore that skirt." Lilly was referring to the jean skirt Miley decided to wear on a day that would reach eighty degrees.

"We've only been together for a few days but let me just tell you that you… are… nasty." Miley said.

Lilly's face lit up as it did when they were teenagers. "Thanks! I was hoping you noticed!" She chirped before pulling out onto the main road.

Instead of using her own signature catchphrase, Miley borrowed from Raven when she mumbled, "Ya nasty", before smiling, reclining her seat and closing her eyes for her nap.

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In the other car, Luanne and Jennifer sat through a few minutes of silence as they mentally settled in for the trip ahead.

"So where are we going shopping?" Jennifer asked.

"Uhh… Nashville. Duh." Luanne joked.

"Oh, you've got your smart-ass hat on today." Jennifer said.

"I never take it off." Luanne said with a smile. "Seriously though, when I shop in Nashville, it's all about Opry Mills. I practically live there."

"I had a Mills mall near me growing up." Jennifer said.

"Where was that?" Luanne asked.

"Sunrise, Florida." Jennifer said.

"Ahh! A southern gal just like me." Luanne said.

"We moved to L.A. when I was 12." Jennifer said. "I liked L.A., but I always wanted to move back to Florida one day."

"Well, you're still young. You're what… forty-two, forty-three?" Luanne teased.

Jennifer chuckled. "Are you ever going to not hit me with a wise crack?" She asked.

"Eventually. But you are just too cute when you let your mouth drop open in shock when I say something off the wall." Luanne said.

"Okay. Since I don't feel like tipping through the land mines that part of the conversation would have produced…" Jennifer said causing Luanne to flash a knowing smile. "… you said that you're an accountant?"

"Yeah. For a small company up in Knoxville." Luanne said. "I'm good at numbers. The money's okay and I don't have to work weekends so it's okay."

"My parents always did my accounting for me before I emancipated myself at sixteen." Jennifer said.

"You didn't get along with them?" Luanne said.

"More land mines. Next subject." Jennifer said.

"Okay." Luanne said. "So, do you have a boyfriend back in California? Girlfriend?"

"Are you a land mine expert or something?" Jennifer scoffed before letting out a sigh. "I had a relationship with a guy that went sour not to long before Miley left Jake. I haven't dated anyone since."

"Are you looking?" Luanne asked.

"No. When you go looking for love it usually ends in disaster. True love will come to you if you're patient, smart and lucky." Jennifer said.

"True love. So I guess you believe in soul mates too." Luanne said.

"I do." Jennifer said. "I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Miley and Lilly are soul mates. They're like…"

"Peanut butter and jelly." Luanne said.

Jennifer cocked her head to the side and nodded. She was thinking about the same analogy Luanne used. "Yeah. Peanut butter and jelly." She paused for a moment as she looked at Luanne before having a thought about her appetite cross her mind. "Okay, why am I thinking about lunch already?"

"Because you're greedy." Luanne kidded. "We can get something to eat at the mall."

"Can we go to Waffle House? I just went there for the first time yesterday and I fell in love with their hash browns." Jennifer said.

"Wait. You lived in Florida until you were twelve and you never went to Waffle House?" Luanne asked.

"No." Jennifer answered.

"Wow." Luanne said. "So how do you eat your hash browns?"

"Scattered and covered." Jennifer said.

"A woman after my own heart." Luanne said with a smile as she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jennifer before refocusing on the road.

Jennifer, who was looking at Luanne when she glanced at her, took note of how vixen-like Luanne looked when she glanced at her. She then took a moment to scan Luanne from head to toe as she drove. Luanne was the same height as Miley but was about fifteen pounds heavier. She was slightly more voluptuous than Miley and was not afraid to show it as evidenced by the blouse that she borrowed from Miley being unbuttoned to show her cleavage, the skirt that was equally as short as Miley's and her own kitten-heeled sandals that displayed her perfect French pedicure.

A battle began inside her brain as she began to playback in her mind Miley's observation of Luanne's attraction to her.

"So… Miley told me that you two were nearly identical years ago. Did you change your appearance to keep from looking like her?" Jennifer asked.

"Checking me out, huh?" Luanne asked with a slight purr to her voice.

"Get a grip on reality!" Jennifer said. "Just answer my question, Miss Narcissist!"

"I needed a change." Luanne said. "I wasn't always the devastatingly sexy creature that's sitting here before you."

"And I'm sure you weren't so modest either." Jennifer cracked sarcastically.

Luanne smirked. "I gave myself an extreme makeover. I lost thirty pounds, got Lasik, cut my hair and overhauled my wardrobe."

"Is that when you decided you were a lesbian?" Jennifer asked.

"Who's the land mine expert now?" Luanne then paused. "I didn't decide. I think I was always one. I didn't make some grand announcement or anything like that. I just met somebody and that was that."

"Did you love her?" Jennifer asked.

"Oh, I get it. This is what platonic girlfriends do." Luanne said. "Okay. No. I didn't love her. We had fun. We laughed, we experimented and we got over each other and moved on."

"Did she hurt you?" Jennifer asked.

"Are you interrogating me?" Luanne asked in an irritated tone. For the first time, Luanne's cool demeanor showed a sign of stress.

"I'm just trying to get to know you. That's all." Jennifer said.

It was then that Luanne put the brakes on the conversation and threw up a giant road block. "Look. You're gonna be back in California in a couple of days and will probably never see me again, so let's just enjoy the day of shopping and forget this trying to be BFF's thing that you're doing. Okay?" Luanne said sternly. Jennifer, taken aback by Luanne's sudden change in mood, resisted the urge to shoot back at her and remained quiet for the next few minutes. When she thought that hot spot had settled down, she picked the conversational baton back up.

"You know something; you are just like I was." Jennifer said as she nodded her head. Luanne cut her eyes at Jennifer in a manner that was a cold as it was sexy earlier. "You know what?" Jennifer said as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Lilly. "Lil, I need to make a pit stop. You two keep going. We'll meet up with you for dinner… Okay, bye." Jennifer then snapped her phone shut. She watched as Lilly passed them on the highway. "Pull off at the next exit." Jennifer ordered.

"Why?" Luanne asked coldly.

"Just pull off." Jennifer lapsed back into her nasty Mikayla mode. At the next exit, Luanne pulled off the interstate and onto a country road. "Stop right there." Jennifer pointed to a clearing at the side of the empty road. Luanne maneuvered her car off to the side of the road and put it in park.

"Why are we stopped?" Luanne asked coldly again. Two seconds later, she saw Jennifer unbuckle her seat belt and come at her, pouncing on her, attacking her neck and face with lustful kisses. "WHAT THE FUCK?" Luanne exclaimed, completely thrown off-guard by the assault. Jennifer then forced her mouth onto Luanne's, shocking her.

Jennifer pulled back as she groped the stunned seductress. "This is what you wanted right?" Jennifer panted as she pawed at and kissed Luanne roughly. "You don't want to get close, right? You just want to have fun and fuck! You don't want a friend! You want a fuck buddy!"

Luanne was going back and forth between being appalled and disgusted and being aroused at the same time. The former began winning out in her head as she began to resist Jennifer's advances. "Stop…it!" Luanne said as she struggled to get the surprisingly strong woman off of her. "Would you… stop it! That's ENOUGH!" Luanne managed to grab Jennifer's wrists and toss her back onto her side of the car. They were both out of breath and panting heavily. "You fucking… LUNATIC!" Luanne scoffed, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger, arousal and curiosity. Jennifer stared back at her. It was then that Luanne saw something in Jennifer's eyes that terrified her. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world would have been highly offended by what Jennifer had just done inside that car. Luanne, however, believed she understood. "You made your point." She paused. "I'm sorry I snapped at you." Luanne said as she cranked up the car and turned around to head back to the interstate. Five minutes passed before either woman said another word.

"You sounded just like I did a couple of years ago. People like us have to be hit over the head with a sledge hammer to get the message." Jennifer said.

"You could have said that five minutes ago." Luanne said with a hint of humility in her voice.

Borrowing directly from Luanne's dishwashing script the night before, Jennifer responded. "I couldn't help it. You're cuter when you're irritated."

* * *

It was an hour and a half into the drive and Miley was sound asleep. Lilly glanced over at Miley and smiled at how peaceful her fiancée looked as she slept. Little did she know that Miley's synapses were providing her with some nocturnal entertainment that was just as stimulating as she had earlier that morning.

(Miley's dream)

_There was sexy music playing; the kind of sexy music that you would hear on a late night Cinemax movie or the Playboy Channel. Miley saw herself sitting at the front center table of what appeared to be a gentlemen's club. She noticed that she had glasses on her face. As she glanced at her reflection in a mirror near the stage, she saw that she was wearing a dark business suit with a white blouse opened in a such a way as to reveal her cleavage. Her tortoise-shell glasses were complimented by her chestnut brown mane being pinned up. She looked the part of a conservative business woman._

_Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a figure come onto the stage. She turns her attention to that figure and immediately feels a sensation of arousal wash over her. It's her Lilly in white, four and a half inch boots that came up to just below the knee. She had on the shortest white skirt that Miley had ever seen and a bustier top that was so tight and enhanced her in such a way that would make an adult film star take notice._

_Lilly began suggestively swaying her hips to the music, never taking her eyes off of her one and only customer. Miley let her eyes roam up and down Lilly's voluptuous form, stopping at a pair of crystal blue eyes that pierced her soul._

"_I know you want me." Lilly purred. "Come take me."_

_As the music hit a crescendo, Miley stood up and slowly walked around to the side of the stage and stepped up onto it._

"_Come take me." Lilly purred again as she began the slowest, most erotic strip tease known to man. Miley took several steps forward until she stood directly in front of the object of her erotic fantasy. Lilly then seductively reached up and freed Miley's hair from the clip that was holding it in place. "Take me Miley." Lilly again purred as she took Miley's hand and brought it gingerly to her naked center at the same time she touched Miley causing her to shudder and gasp. "Take me Miley." Lilly breathlessly said._

"_Oh God Lilly yes." Miley breathlessly uttered as her body quaked at Lilly's touch._

"_Miley." Lilly said breathlessly as Miley continued to touch her. "Miley." Lilly shuddered as Miley touched her._

"Miley."

Miley's eyes fluttered open and noticed that the car was stopped. As she got her bearings, she noticed that they were pulled off on the side of the interstate. She then looked down at her lap and saw that her hand had found its way inside now wet underwear. When she looked over at Lilly, she saw her own hand resting on Lilly's thigh and Lilly with her head leaned back on the headrest with her eyes closed, visibly breathing through her mouth in an attempt to slow her heart rate down.

"Lil?" Miley began.

"You… started touching me about a mile an a half back." Lilly said slowly. "You… wouldn't wake up." Lilly paused, with her eyes still closed. "I… almost came while I was driving." Lilly paused again. "I would have sent us… over the median if I came." Lilly continued to measure her words as Miley looked over at her with a growing lust inside her. "So… I just need… to sit here for a minute… while Miss Kitty calms down… then… we can keep going."

"Lil?" Miley said.

"Yeah?" Lilly answered.

"I hate to do this to you…" Miley said as she closed her eyes. "But I have to come right now…" Lilly bit her bottom lip as her eyes remained shut. "You… owe me from earlier… And if you don't do it… I'm gonna do it myself."

"We're on the side of the interstate." Lilly said softly with a tension in her voice so thick that you couldn't cut it with a meat cleaver.

"You've got about two minutes to find someplace secluded to make me come or I am going to give you and any trucker that passes our car one hell of a show." Miley's voice was dripping with wanton, lustful need.

"That must've been one hell of a dream." Lilly said.

"You, me, a strip club, you in Hannah boots and a skirt that barely covered your ass." Miley said in the same low, measured tone she had been using.

Lilly opened her eyes and lifted her head. "Holy shit." Lilly then threw the car in drive and peeled off of the shoulder kicking gravel and dust into the air as she sped off. The next exit was two miles away and at her rate of speed, she would reach that exit in under a minute and a half.

It didn't take Lilly long to find that secluded place that Miley spoke of. When she did, all hell broke loose inside their car. Lilly aggressively grabbed two handfuls of Miley's hair as she pressed her mouth roughly onto Miley's, making her gasp as she squirmed in the seat. As their frantic kissing bordered on violent, Miley lifted her butt off of the seat as she hiked her skirt up and began sliding her underwear down her lean, toned legs. Lilly was so charged that she couldn't decide whether to touch herself or Miley, so her hands alternated between the two. After Miley successfully removed her underwear, Lilly thrust her hand between Miley's legs and began furiously rubbing to Miley's delight.

"FUCK!" Miley bellowed as Lilly found her mark for the first time. The brown-haired woman rocked her hips back and forth like a woman possessed as Lilly rocked her.

Lilly removed her hand from Miley's center only long enough to begin roughly pawing at bottom of Miley's pullover blouse.

"Lift this… fuckin' thing… up!" Lilly growled as she fumbled with Miley's blouse, pushing it up far enough to expose Miley's red satin bra. Lilly then forcefully moved one of the cups aside and latched hungrily onto Miley's left breast as she thrust her left hand back between Miley's legs, rubbing Miley's clit hard, making her screams of delight flood the car. Miley grabbed the back of Lilly's hair as she sucked on Miley's nipple harder than she had ever experienced before.

"Oh my god I'm gonna fuckin' come!" Miley's profane words spilled out of her mouth with the same intensity that she was being woman-handled. Her squirming and Lilly's rubbing made the car rock from side-to-side as if hurricane force winds were whipping it. Lilly switched breasts, latching on to the other nipple as Miley began to slap the roof of the car with her palm as the stunningly rough sex made all of her self-control disappear. "Oh shit, Lil!" Miley's body then momentarily locked up as a powerful orgasm ripped through her body causing Miley to scream as loud as Lilly had ever heard.

"Come here." Lilly growled in animalistic fashion. Not allowing Miley even a second to recover from her orgasm, the ravenous blonde lost her self-control as she grabbed Miley's torso and pulled her lover over to her side of the car with Miley nearly sitting in her lap. Miley then leaned back and was sprawled across Lilly's lap as Lilly reached down and began fingering Miley roughly again, this time inserting two fingers as Miley screamed and gasped repeatedly.

After a minute or two of this incredibly raw treatment, Miley's body overwhelmed her again as she came so hard when she opened her eyes she saw stars. She violently flailed to upright herself as she recovered from her second orgasm, scrambling to turn herself around to face Lilly and kissing her as roughly and deeply as she possibly could without hurting her. After pulling back from the kiss, she fixed her lips on Lilly's neck as Lilly gasped.

"Fuck the shit out of me!" Lilly growled in as libidinous a way as Miley had ever heard her speak.

"No problem." Miley growled in response as Lilly parted her legs for Miley, who began rubbing Lilly through her underwear. Miley then draped her body across Lilly's to find the automatic seat adjust to push the driver's seat as far back as it would go, while simultaneously pushing the button to recline the seat with Lilly pawing at her the whole time. When she was done, she resumed her intense rubbing of Lilly's clit through the soaked fabric of her panties. Thinking that she couldn't be any more aroused than she was, Lilly was shocked when Miley reached down with both hands and began ripping her panties with her bare hands.

"Holy shit!" Lilly exclaimed as Miley let out a sadistically sexy giggle just before inserting two fingers inside Lilly. The blonde bombshell screamed at the top of her lungs as Miley penetrated her with maximum intensity. Lilly actually began sliding toward the headrest of the reclined seat as Miley fingered her. "Oh god! Miley please! Please!" Lilly screamed. Miley pushed Lilly's blouse up exposing her bra before hooking her thumb underneath the cup and pushing it up exposing Lilly's hardened nipple. Miley then lowered her mouth, sucking and popping the nipple in and out of her mouth, driving Lilly to the point of no return.

"Is this hard enough?" Miley asked in a husky growl.

"Shit 'chea!" Lilly answered quickly as she continued to be overwhelmed by her lover.

"Hard enough for you to come?" Miley asked.

"Unh-huh!" Lilly answered.

"Right now?" Miley countered.

"Unh-huh!" Lilly's last counter would be her last as she released the erotic build up with in her with a blood-curdling scream that would make the raunchiest adult film star blush.

Miley flopped back into her seat, leaving Lilly panting as she lay staring at the headliner of their rental car. They both then closed their eyes for a moment to let what had just occurred soak in. After about two minutes of recovery, Lilly had regained enough composure to speak.

"What… the fuck… did we just do?" Lilly said with exhausted exasperation.

"Something that felt amazing." Miley responded.

"I thought I came hard this morning." Lilly said.

"You did." Miley said.

"You realize that this was probably it for about a week." Lilly said flatly.

"Damn periods." Miley said.

A few moments of silence reigned in the car before Lilly spoke again. "I'm too tired to drive."

"I'll switch with you." Miley said.

"I'm hungry." Lilly said.

"Sex always makes you hungry. We'll stop at the first McDonalds I see off the Interstate." Miley offered.

"Now I really know why you like it rough." Lilly said with a smile.

Miley smiled as she pulled her panties back on and opened the passenger side door. "Stick with me, Kid. There's a lot more where that came from."

About forty-five minutes later, Miley saw Luanne's car about a quarter mile ahead of her. She sped up to get to within a few car lengths of it when she pulled out her cell phone and hit one of her quick dial buttons.

"_Hello?"_

"Tell my cousin she drives slower than… well I was gonna say Mamaw but Mamaw would dust her!" Miley said, pulling up along side the passenger side of Luanne's car as they drove.

"_Miley said you drive slower than a slug slithers." _Miley heard Jennifer say to Luanne. Jennifer paused to get Luanne's response. _"She said she would tell you to eat her but that's incestuous plus Lilly probably did a good job of it back there. That's why it took you forty-five minutes to catch us."_

"You're rubbing off on her. Or is she rubbing off on you? Or did you just rub each other?" Miley teased.

"_You are a nasty woman. You know that, right?"_ Jennifer said. _"Eww. I can smell the sex from your car over here. Remind me to put a plastic sheet over the back seat when I get back in and please use some air freshener in there."_

"Who's nasty now?" Miley asked.

"_Still you. Car sex fiend." _Jennifer said. _"How much longer till we get to Nashville?"_

"About twenty-five minutes." Miley replied. "Are you and Luanne behaving yourselves over there?"

"_Well, besides her ogling my thighs every two miles, we're fine." _Jennifer said.

"_Every four miles, thank you!" _Luanne yelled.

"You work fast." Miley said with a smile as she glanced over at Jennifer.

"_Whatever. Stop playing around with me. You've got an appointment in an hour. Go!" _Jennifer said.

"I'll call you after we're done." Miley said.

"_All right babe. Later."_

"They haven't killed each other yet?" Lilly asked.

Miley smiled a knowing smile. "No. They seem to be doing just fine."

* * *

"A little hypocritical of you to tease Miley about having sex with Lilly in the car considering your lame attempt at copping a feel earlier." Luanne said.

"First of all, it wasn't lame and second of all, you were about ten seconds away from having to clean your seats, sweetie." Jennifer said.

"You're pretty good. I'll give you that. But I'll be prepared next time." Luanne said.

"Next time? No. There won't BE a next time." Jennifer said.

"There'll be a next time. As a matter of fact, you're thinking about it right now." Luanne said confidently.

"I am not thinking about you right now, Luanne." Jennifer emphasized Luanne's name.

"What happened to Tori?" Luanne asked.

"You really want me to call you that? I was kidding." Jennifer said.

"It can be your little pet name for me. And I can call you… Jenny." Luanne said.

"I… am not giving you a pet name and you are NOT calling me Jenny." Jennifer said emphatically.

"Our first real kiss is gonna be so electric…" Luanne teased.

"Just STOP IT ALREADY! JEEZ!" Jennifer exclaimed. For the first time since Jennifer met her, Luanne flashed a smile that appeared to not be contrived and vixen-like. It was a warm, from-the-heart smile that, from Jennifer's observation, changed Luanne's whole appearance. "Now THAT was Tori."

"What?"

"That smile, just now. That was Tori trying to get out." Jennifer said. "The little sniping and smart-aleck thing is cute and all but just be yourself."

"Okay." Luanne said nodding. "If I agree to not be so smart-alecky and sniper-like today, will you consider going out with me tomorrow night?"

"I'm not gay." Jennifer said.

"Just… one date, no false pretenses or anything like that. Just Luanne, the True Hollywood Story." Luanne said.

"I know about lesbians and their straight girl crushes. Six of my best friends are lesbians." Jennifer said.

"And I heard Miley say they were all best friends that fell in love. You can barely tolerate me. Come on. One get-to-know you outing. I'll be a real gentleman, I swear." Luanne said.

"I did say I wanted to try to get to know you." Jennifer paused. "Okay. It's a date, if… you behave today."

"See. I knew you wanted me." Luanne said. Jennifer opened her mouth to say something. "Okay! Okay! That was the last one! That's it. I promise."

"Atta girl." Jennifer said.

Luanne glanced over at the approaching road sign saying that they were twenty miles outside of Nashville. Before returning her gaze to the roadway, she flashed a sideways glance at her passenger, who was staring straight ahead. Remembering Jennifer's joke from earlier about her ogling Jennifer's thighs, Luanne stole a quick glance before bringing her eyes forward again.

"I charge a quarter a look." Jennifer deadpanned before cutting her eyes over at Luanne. "But because I like you, you get that one for free."

Never turning her head to respond, Luanne allowed the warm, genuine smile to creep back onto her face. She had come to the conclusion in her mind that she had finally met her intellectually smart-aleck match. And to her, it felt pretty darn good.

* * *

**I got a little raunchy there earlier but I figured that there's nothing wrong with a little raunch (I know that's not a word!) between lovers. I promise that they will make it to Nashville. We're gonna focus on Miley and Lilly's house hunting and peek in on Luanne and Jennifer as well as Robby Ray and Kylie.**

**After a little bit of internal debate, I am dropping two characters you haven't met yet from this story. You won't meet Miley and Lilly's soon-to-be neighbors in this story. You'll meet them next time.**

**And now, on to chapter seven. See ya soon! PLEASE REVIEW.**


	7. Liley City, USA

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 7**

**Liley City, USA**

**Saturday, September 23, 2017 – 10:30 am - Kylie Westmoreland's townhouse – Oak Hill, Tennessee**

Robby Ray pulled into the parking lot of the townhouse community just outside of the city feeling as if he had driven into a twenty year old time warp. He had made this same drive to see this same woman two decades ago to tell her that he was moving with his children to California. What flipped the butterflies in his stomach those many years ago was the same thing that flipped those butterflies on that sunny Saturday morning; the strong feelings he had for Kylie Westmoreland.

His old buddy Tyler hit the nail on the head; he and Kylie did have some unfinished business. There was a part of him that wanted to take Kylie to California with him and really explore the depths of the relationship they were forging, but that would have proven difficult to explain considering that he hadn't told his children about their eleven-month old relationship. Part of the reason he decided to leave was that he was afraid that loving Kylie would mean saying a final goodbye to Brooke, something he was not prepared to do. But years of maturity and self-reflection made him come to the realization that moving on to another relationship or even another marriage didn't mean he had to say goodbye to Brooke. She would always occupy a place in his heart, and it was that knowledge that comforted him and gave him the courage to date again.

Before getting out of the car, his paternal instinct called on him to check in with his baby girl to see how she was doing.

"_Hey Daddy!"_

"Hey darlin'. You and Lilly made it to town yet?" Robby Ray asked.

"_We're in the city now, headed over to meet our agent."_ Miley said. _"Are you at Kylie's yet?"_

"I'm sittin' in front of her place now." Robby Ray said.

"_You know, I vaguely remember her. She was tall and blonde, a real cutie." _Miley said.

"Now darlin', you've got your own cute blonde. This one's mine!" Robby Ray joked causing Miley to laugh.

"_You've been drinkin' some of Gran'pa Jack's moonshine haven't you?" _Miley said, earning a chuckle from her father. _"Seriously though, I want you to be happy, you know that, right?"_

"Of course I do, Bud, but why are you givin' me the serious talk?" Robby Ray asked.

"_Cause I saw the look in your eyes when Mamaw asked you about her last night at dinner. You had the same look in your eyes that I have when I think about Lilly… so I've been told." _Miley said. _"You're still in love with her, aren't you Daddy?"_

"I never could get anything past you." Robby Ray said with a smile. Robby Ray then paused. He was always able to have deep conversations with his daughter more easily than he could with Jackson. "I never told her."

"_That you loved her?" _Miley said.

"Eleven months and the time was just never right." Robby Ray said.

"_Sometimes Daddy, you have to make the time. And you're lucky, 'cause moving back to Tennessee just bought you a whole messa time." _Miley encouraged.

"Are you sure you're not the momma and I'm the son?" Robby Ray joked.

"_If I am the momma, then I'm the best lookin' seventy year old momma in the history of the world!" _Miley joked.

Robby Ray smiled. "Love you Bud."

"_Love you too Daddy. See you at Mamaw's tonight." _Miley said.

"Bye darlin'." Robby Ray said before hanging up the phone. "All right Rob. Let's go finish what we started."

Robby Ray got out of his rental car and walked up to the front door and rang the bell. On the other side of the door, Kylie stood waiting for the right moment to open the door as to not appear overanxious. She saw Robby Ray when he pulled up and peeked out through the window as he talked on the phone.

"Five… four… three… two…" Kylie counted down before slowly opening the front door.

"Hey Kyle." Robby Ray said with a sheepish smile.

"Hey Rob." Kylie said with a small, toothless smile. "Come in."

"Thank you." Robby Ray said as he wiped his feet on the outside mat before stepping inside.

"After all these years, you still wipe your feet before you come in." Kylie said as she closed the door behind her.

"Old habits die hard. Momma taught me not to mess up anybody's floors." Robby Ray said.

Kylie laughed. "You want something to drink?"

"It's a little early to get me drunk, don't you think?" Robby Ray teased.

"I see you haven't lost your sense of humor." Kylie said.

"That's what makes me… me." Robby Ray said as he watched Kylie walk into the kitchen and go into the refrigerator. After a moment she walked back out toward him.

"Here. I made you something." Kylie said.

"You're kidding me!" Robby Ray said in astonishment as he reached for the glass. "You remembered?"

"My homemade double chocolate Yee-Ha." Kylie said, referring to her made up name for her homemade chocolate Yoo-Hoo drink. "I haven't made this in years. I hope I remembered how."

Robby Ray took a swig, closed his eyes and flashed a large toothless smile. "MMM-MMM! That is just how I remembered it! Not as rich and creamy as my Loco Hot Cocoa but it'll do just fine." He said.

"You never showed me how to make that." Kylie said.

"You never showed me how to make this." Robby Ray countered. "I'll show ya mine if you show me yours." He teased.

Kylie shook her head. "Same ol' Rob. Come over here and sit down." She said as she led him over to the dining room table to sit. "So… little Miley is our next country mega-star, huh?"

"Country, pop, rock… I think she's gonna mix in a little rap and R&B into her next album." Robby Ray said.

"An infusion of different sounds. Nice." Kylie said. "I don't keep up with a lot of news, but I caught the story about her and the kiss in the restaurant. That must've caught you off-guard."

"Well, I knew about Miley lovin' Lilly before that happened. I'm surprised it got the press it did." Robby Ray said.

"How did you take the news when she told you she was gay?" Kylie asked.

"She didn't really tell me that. She told me she fell in love with Lilly and left it at that." Robby Ray said. "Plus, her friends Raven and Chelsea got married at our house ten years ago so I'd look pretty silly tellin' her I didn't approve."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're not closed minded." Kylie said.

"I love the idea of love and I love my kids bein' happy. And if you saw the two of them, they're happy as two peas in a pod." Robby Ray said.

"So how's Jackson doing?" Kylie asked.

"Fine. On the road doin' advance work for Miley's tour. I need to call him to see how he's doin'." Robby Ray said.

"How have you been?" Kylie asked.

"I'm makin' it. I've been managing Miley's business affairs and writin' some new songs for her." Robby Ray said.

"None for yourself?" Kylie asked.

"My life's been kinda… uninspiring lately; no dog that ran away, no woman that broke my heart, no feelin' blue… no, I just write for my girl." Robby Ray said. "But you've been askin' me all the questions, Meredith Viera! What about you? What have you been up to?"

"Work, home, Starbucks and then work again." Kylie said.

"Andy did kinda suggest that work is your boyfriend." Robby Ray said.

"Andy… has a big mouth." Kylie said. "I'm driven, determined to do my job. I want his job one day when he leaves and if that means I have to sacrifice some boring chit chat in some seedy bar with a man of questionable character and motives than that's the sacrifice I'll make."

"Well, this ain't a seedy bar and our chit chat ain't boring. Now whether I'm of questionable character and motives is for you to decide." Robby Ray said with a smile.

"You were a man of impeccable character and I don't get the sense from you that you've changed. I mean your eyes haven't wandered on to my chest not once since we've been sitting here." Kylie said with a smile.

"That's because I haven't gotten past your eyes. I seemed to always have that problem." Robby Ray said sweetly.

Kylie paused for a moment. "Robby Ray Stewart are you flirting with me?"

"Woman, I've been flirtin' since the second I walked through the door! You gotta get out more often." Robby Ray teased.

"Well I think you're about to take care of that, right?" Kylie said.

"Right. Somewhere downtown is a steak with my name on it." Robby Ray said.

"Well, it's a little early, but I know just the place." Kylie said. "Come on."

They both stood up to leave. Robby Ray guzzled the rest of his Yee-Ha and handed the glass to Kylie, who sat it on the table just inside the kitchen before continuing to the front door. Kylie walked up to the front door and put her hand on it, then turned around.

"What'd you forget?" Robby Ray asked. Kylie answered by stepping toward Robby Ray slipping her hands around his waist and giving him a kiss on the lips that lasted about five seconds. When she released him and stepped back, Robby Ray let out a singular chuckle and left his mouth slightly agape.

"I've been waitin' almost twenty years to do that." Kylie said before turning to open the door. As she stepped outside she turned her head. "Lock that behind you, will ya?"

As Robby Ray reached around and locked the door knob and pulled the door shut, he watched Kylie bound down the stairs in front of her townhouse, golden blonde hair bouncing as she walked, he remembered the words his friend Tyler said to him in the office the day before – Carpe diem.

"Carpe diem, huh?" Robby Ray whispered to himself. "This looks like a good day for seizin'."

* * *

**Saturday, September 23, 2017 – 11 am - Offices of Re/Max Elite – Brentwood, Tennessee**

Miley pulled into the parking lot of the real estate office located in the affluent suburb south of Nashville. Lilly's eyes lit up with the realization that they were about to begin searching for their new home, a home that they would be sharing as lovers and soon-to-be spouses. Miley reached over and took Lilly by the hand.

"Are you ready to do this?" Miley asked softly.

"I've never been so ready for anything in my life." Lilly said. "I just know that the house that we are going to have parties in and walk our dogs in and have children in and make love in is out there some where waiting for us. I can feel it. Today is the day."

"Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?" Miley asked earnestly.

"I think you showed me earlier." Lilly said saucily with a sexy grin.

"I'm serious." Miley said with reserved passion. "You are the most beautiful person in the world to me and I am blessed beyond measure to have you in my life."

Lilly smiled as she brought their interlocked fingers up to her mouth and kissed Miley's hand. "I feel the same way about you. I love you, Miley."

"I love you too." Miley said, delivering a soft kiss. "Okay. Let's go get our house."

Miley and Lilly got out of the car and headed inside. Their agent, Christina Dickerson, a young but experienced agent in the Nashville area, discussed with them all of the things they had spoken about on the phone and assured them that there was plenty in the Nashville market that they would love. Miley's insistence on living near an area that would be conducive for starting a private school for Lilly was noted by the agent and narrowed her focus on the two affluent communities south of the city; Brentwood, the city they were currently in that was roughly ten miles from downtown, and Belle Meade, which lay about seven miles south of downtown. As the agent chauffeured them around Brentwood, she pointed out some of the selling points of the community.

"There are quite a few famous people that have lived in and around Brentwood." Christina said. "Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Carrie Underwood, both Brooks and Dunn as well as several members of the Tennessee Titans."

"Well, at least I'd blend in with the rich and famous." Miley joked.

For the next two and a half hours, they visited several very nice homes in Brentwood that featured such amenities as five-car garages, two-story guest houses and Olympic-sized swimming pools. And while all of them were opulent and befitting their new swollen bank account, they knew that they hadn't seen "their" house just yet.

"You still have the feeling that today is the day?" Miley asked as they headed back to Christina's Lexus LX 450 SUV.

"I still have that tingle." Lilly said.

"You sure that wasn't from our episode in the car this morning?" Miley whispered.

"You are horrible." Lilly teased.

"And you love every horrible inch of me." Miley said.

"I know that's right." Lilly shot back.

As they got to the car, Christina paused before unlocking the doors. "Can I just say something to you before we get in?"

"Sure." Lilly said.

"You two are the most adorable couple I have ever had the pleasure of being an agent for." Christina said. "I mean, I know you two are grown women, but you just have a warm, playful… love that you can't help but feel when you're around the two of you. Don't ever lose that."

"Thank you. That is incredibly sweet of you to say." Miley said with a warm smile as she glanced at Lilly, who was beaming.

"Oh, just one more thing…" Christina added. "I'm only a couple of years older than you but my friends and I love your music and while we can't wait for your new CD to come out, we really miss Hannah Montana. Any chance on her making a brief comeback?"

"Well, it's like Forrest Gump's momma said in the movie… Life's a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Miley said with a wink.

Christina smiled and unlocked the doors before walking around to her side and getting in. Lilly looked at Miley quizzically as they stood outside, Lilly in front of the passenger side back door and Miley in front of the passenger side front door.

"IS Hannah gonna make a comeback?" Lilly asked with anticipation.

Miley looked at Lilly and smiled. Miley's answer was in the form of a song. "I might even be a rock star. I might even be a rock star!" She sang before opening the door and sliding in, leaving Lilly to utter one of her signature phrases from her teenage years.

"Ooh! Lola likey!" Lilly softly exclaimed as she hopped into the truck.

About fifteen minutes later, the three women pulled up to a gated house in the city of Belle Meade, a city of approximately 5,000 residents according to the 2010 census. Several large dogwood trees lined the property just inside the nine-foot high black iron fence. Christina punched in a security code, bringing the gate to life as it opened smoothly for them to enter.

Lilly's mouth fell open as she gazed out at the huge main house with the circular drive way in front. Her eyes then caught the smaller but still spacious guest house sitting back and to the side of the main house.

"Miley! Are you this rich?" Lilly asked.

"I guess I am." Miley said with wonder in her voice as Christina pulled up in front of the house. The three women got out and Christina opened the Supra box that contained the house key. She looked to her summary sheet to verify the alarm code before entering the house and turning off the alarm.

"Okay. This house is owned by one of the former players for the Tennessee Titans football team. He got traded in the offseason and his house is still on the market." Christina started. "It's got seven bedrooms including servant's quarters, five and a half bathrooms, a full gourmet kitchen with a separate formal dining room… media room downstairs with a 75-inch HD plasma TV that conveys with the house, master suite with two walk-in closets and one of the largest master bathrooms in Davidson County."

"How many square feet?" Miley asked.

"Just under fourteen thousand square feet. The guest house is another four thousand." Christina said.

"And the price?" Lilly asked.

"Three point eight million firm." Christina said.

"Holy shit!" Lilly exclaimed. "You put all my aunts and uncles houses together with my parents and that doesn't equal three point eight million!"

"Why don't you take a look around?" Christina said. Miley smiled and took the overwhelmed Lilly by the hand. This was by far the largest and most expensive house they had visited that day.

As they walked from room to room, Lilly and Miley imagined what everyday life would be like in the massive house. With each step, Lilly's belief that they were walking through a home that they would soon call their own grew.

"Well… what do you think?" Miley asked.

"Can we really afford this?" Lilly asked.

"I asked Daddy, who's also my business manager, and he recommended not going above $5 million so we're fine." Miley said as they walked into the master bathroom.

"A two-person Jacuzzi!" Lilly exclaimed. "Eeep!" She chirped as she ran over to the tub and hopped in.

"I haven't heard you do that since we graduated college." Miley said.

"I haven't been this giddy since we graduated college!" Lilly said. "Is this for real?"

"It's as real as it gets." Miley said as she walked over and knelt down beside Lilly, who was sitting in the Jacuzzi. "Let's go see the guest house."

"I don't need to see the guest house. This is our house." Lilly stated firmly just as her cell phone rang.

"Are you sure? Don't we need a sign or something?" Miley said.

Lilly smiled as she answered her phone. "Hello?"

"_Hey Lilly! Where are you?"_

"Hey Raven! Miley and I are out house hunting. What's up?"

"_You wouldn't happen to be sitting in a big Jacuzzi right now, would you?"_

Lilly's eyes grew wide. "You had a vision about us! Didn't you?"

"_I did. And, uhh, don't worry about your phone. Miley'll buy you another one."_

"Huh?"

"_Congratulations, you two are gonna love that house."_

Lilly shrieked with unbridled joy. "THANK YOU RAVEN! THAT WAS THE SIGN WE WERE LOOKING FOR!"

"_I knew you were gonna say that. Talk to you later."_

"BYE!" Lilly snapped her phone shut and threw her hands in the air as she screamed. Just as her arms shot up as high as they would go, her cell phone slipped out of her hand, flying over Miley's head and crashing to the marble floor of the bathroom, bouncing and shattering to pieces.

Miley looked over her shoulder at the tattered remains of Lilly's cell phone. "That's all right…"

Lilly then echoed the rest of Miley's sentence verbatim. "… I'll buy you another one! AAAAHHHHH! THIS IS OUR HOUSE!" She screamed as she threw her arms around Miley's neck. Miley grinned from ear to ear as she experienced the unabashed joy her fiancée was experiencing at that moment. Hearing the commotion upstairs, Christina appeared at the bathroom door moments later.

"I assume I have a contract to write?" Christina said with a smile.

Miley turned her head toward her agent while she was still embracing Lilly. "Make him an offer he can't refuse." Miley said to Christina before turning her head around and rocking the ecstatic blonde back and forth in celebration.

* * *

**Saturday, September 23, 2017 – 3:45 pm - Offices of Re/Max Elite – Brentwood, Tennessee**

After sitting down in the house and putting the finishing touches on the contract to present to the owner, they headed back to the office to fax the contract to the listing agent. Christina called the listing agent to notify him of the pending contract, who in turn called the owner. The owner told his agent that barring any weird details in the contract, the house was as good as sold.

"Ladies, it's all but a done deal." Christina announced with glee.

Miley and Lilly bounced up and down inside Christina's truck like kids in a candy store as they screamed and cried in celebration.

"What did I tell you?" Lilly exclaimed.

"I never doubted you for a second!" Miley exclaimed as they pulled into the Re/Max parking lot.

"Let's go sign this contract and get you a house." Christina said with a warm smile as Miley and Lilly shot out of the car and embraced each other tearfully.

"Oh my god! I gotta call Jenn!" Miley said as she fumbled for her cell phone.

"Don't break yours like I broke mine!" Lilly warned.

Miley giggled as she hit her speed dial. _"Hey Loser! How's it going?" _Jenn said.

"We got a house! We got this huge, gigantic, humongous house about ten miles from the city! It's got… everything!" Miley beamed.

"_AAAAHHHH! I'm so happy for you… and Lilly!" _Jennifer said. _"They got a house!" _She was heard to say to Luanne in the background. _"Wait. Don't you have to go to settlement and everything?"_

"The owner told his agent that the house was as good as sold! I am so happy I don't know what to do!" Miley exclaimed as Lilly hugged her waist.

"_Well, you already had sex this morning… twice… so why don't you just cry, scream and jump up and down." _Jenn said.

"We're way ahead of you! Tell Luanne to go to Zola. We'll meet you there at six." Miley said.

"_Zola at six. You got it. Bye babe and again, congratulations!"_

"Love you girl! Bye!"

* * *

**Saturday, September 23, 2017 – 3:50 pm – Opry Mills Mall – Nashville, Tennessee**

"Man, she's excited!" Jenn said.

"I'd be too if I just bought a nine billion dollar house. That means I could afford to buy it." Luanne said. "How do you think these look?" Luanne modeled some three inch red heels with a skinny strap around the ankle.

"You've got great legs so you can definitely pull those off." Jenn said casually as she moved to the next section of shoes.

"Thank you." Luanne said warmly, taken aback by the compliment. "THOSE are HOT! You've got to get those!" Luanne pointed to a pair of black and white striped zebra print pumps.

"Are you serious?" Jenn asked incredulously.

"Black pencil skirt, white blouse… a touch of WOW in a conservative outfit." Luanne reasoned.

"You think?" Jenn asked as she gave the shoes a second look.

"I'll show you!" Luanne said before jogging across to the clothing section and grabbing a black pencil skirt and a white blouse. "We're the same size." She mumbled before taking the shoes off the table. "I'll be right back!" Jenn chuckled as she saw an energetic, almost cute Luanne jog to the fitting room. A few minutes later, Luanne emerged from the fitting room. "See what I mean?" Jennifer found herself unable to move or speak as she gazed at Luanne from head to toe, taking in every curve on her five-foot-eight inch frame. "Jenn? Whaddya think?"

Jennifer nodded her head slowly. "That… That's your outfit. I couldn't do it the justice you're doing right now." She eked out. "I like the shoes though." Luanne smiled and turned to go back into the dressing room. Jennifer was in a daze for a second as the image of Luanne in her work dress outfit burned itself onto her mental hard drive. She then quickly shook herself. "What am I doing?" She mumbled to herself. "All these lesbians are starting to rub off on me… not… like that. Jeez!" She caught her own double entendre.

"Hey Jennifer?" Luanne called out from the dressing room.

"Yeah!"

"Could you come here for a second?" Luanne asked. Over the course of the afternoon, all of Luanne's snippy, smart-aleck behavior had all but disappeared.

"I'm here." Jenn said.

Luanne stepped out of the dressing room stall still dressed. "Can you unzip this skirt? "The…" Luanne tugged on the zipper in the back. "… zipper's stuck."

"Turn around." Jenn said. Luanne complied as Jenn slid her fingers just inside the waist of the skirt with her left hand to get a grip and tugged on the zipper with her right. "That sucker won't… move. Let me try wiggling it a little." Luanne looked over her shoulder and down at Jennifer as she bit her bottom lip in concentration as she wiggled the zipper. Jennifer looked up briefly and caught Luanne's profile, her hair partially concealing her face. Jennifer dropped her head and took a deep breath as she felt a strange flutter in the pit of her stomach. "Oh! There… it… goes. Voila!" Jennifer said as the zipper glided down its path.

Luanne pivoted to face Jennifer as she straightened up. "Thanks. Oops!" Luanne exclaimed softly and giggled as she caught the skirt as it threatened to drop to the floor. She received a second surprise when Jennifer stepped forward, cupped her face and gave her a soft kiss on the lips that after a couple of seconds became slightly deeper.

Jennifer then broke the kiss and stepped back, never taking her eyes away from Luanne's. "I'll be… waiting out… there." Jennifer motioned over her shoulder with her thumb awkwardly before turning and retreating.

Luanne stood just outside the dressing room stall, holding up her skirt, in shock over what just happened. During the course of the day, she had dropped all of her sassy pretentiousness and decided to give being a nice girl who was out shopping with her friend a try. What that earned her was a kiss from a woman that over the course of the day she had come to really like as a person, a woman that over the course of the day she had begun to fall for… hard. Before that kiss, she had tempered any optimism that she had knowing that Jennifer had dismissively thrown out the term "straight-girl crush" as a deterrent to any advances. Now, her optimism began to flood her brain full force as the feelings behind that kiss began to swirl in her brain.

Jennifer was experiencing a similar bout of reflection as she stood outside the dressing room area. As the day progressed, more and more of what she believed was Luanne's true nature showed and with each layer of protective crust being scraped away by a laugh, a joke, a smile or a provocative thought, Jennifer found herself less willing or able to fight what she had been fighting previously; her budding attraction to Miley's previously bitchy cousin.

After a couple of minutes of pensive thought, Jennifer turned in time to see Luanne come out of the dressing room. To her, Luanne now looked humble and, dare she say it, radiant. As she wondered whether her eyes were playing tricks on her or finally allowing her to see the real Luanne, the Tennessee-bred beauty spoke.

"Are you ready?" Luanne asked in as soft and sweet a voice as she had.

Jennifer paused to consider the multiple meanings of that question. When she parted her lips to speak, the answer that came out would be one to cover all of the meanings that crisscrossed her mind. "I think so…" She paused and then nodded slightly. "Yeah. Yeah I am."

* * *

**Lucky number seven is in the books. I am dying to know what you think of this one. I want to thank each and every one of you that have read and reviewed so far and those of you that have just read. There's much more in store so please, come back and join me for chapter eight and beyond. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	8. The Next Step

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: I know. It's been a week since I've updated. I'm sorry. You're used to two, maybe three days tops between chapters. Well, I'm back and I brought some company with me.**

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* * *

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 8**

**The Next Step**

**Saturday, September 30, 2017 – 5 pm – Mamaw's house – Misty Hollow, Tennessee**

In a little more than twelve hours, the gang from California would be headed back to the West Coast following their weeklong stay in the Volunteer state. Miley and Lilly had a ratified contract on the house they saw in Belle Meade and received a relative bargain when the owner accepted their three point five million dollar offer. They had settled on October 30th as their closing date, and November 15th as their move-in date, giving them forty-five days to complete their cross-country move. The last week saw them doing everything from setting up logistics for the move to going on several shopping trips to Knoxville. The two women were bubbling with excitement over what the future had in store for them.

The last week also saw changes in the lives of Robby Ray, Kylie, Luanne and Jennifer. Robby Ray stayed with Tyler for a couple of days during the week in order to be closer to Kylie. The two of them went out every night, hitting old hang outs and new hot spots. They were re-establishing a two decades old link that both felt should have never been broken. And while the two shared nothing physically beyond only the occasional peck on the lips, the feelings that the two of them had for one another continued to grow exponentially with each successful date.

Jennifer and Luanne traveled a path similar to Robby Ray and Kylie. With Luanne and Jennifer alternating driving to and from Knoxville and Misty Hollow to see the other, they too shared no physical intimacy beyond the dressing room kiss and a chaste hug and goodnight peck on the cheek. However, each hug and peck on the cheek was warmer and more tension filled than the one before leading both women to believe that they were nearing the next phase in their relationship.

It was under these conditions that one final big dinner was planned at Mamaw's house. Miley, Lilly, Robby Ray and Jennifer would be joined by Luanne, her parents, Miley's aunts Dolly and Vickie, Kylie along with Jackson and his new friend Tamera, who had visited her grandmother in Knoxville during the week.

Miley and Lilly were standing just inside the back door that led to the backyard. They were watching Jennifer and Luanne talking near the swings under the large oak tree about thirty yards from the house.

"Look at them Miley. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were in love." Lilly said.

"They do look cozy, don't they?" Miley said. "Kinda reminds me of us about two weeks ago."

Lilly smiled. "You know, Luanne's not half as bad as I thought she was."

"I told you that people just needed to give her a chance. She lashes out to draw attention to herself." Miley said. "If you give her the right type of attention, look at what you get."

"Well Jennifer seems to be giving her the right type of attention." Lilly said with a loaded voice.

"They haven't had sex yet." Miley informed her.

"No?" Lilly asked with surprise.

"They haven't even had one of those good knee-bucklin' kisses yet." Miley said.

"Kinda like this?" Lilly asked before leaning over as capturing Miley in a slow, but scorching kiss. When they broke the kiss, all they could do was smile at each other and blush deeply.

"Now that is a baby-makin' kiss right there." The female voice with the pronounced Tennessee mountain accent said.

Miley spun around to look at the source of the comment. "Aunt Vickie!" Miley exclaimed as she threw her arms around her aunt. She then released the hug and held her aunt's hands, looking the older woman up and down. "My God! You look amazing! Mamaw said you lost weight but… Wow!"

"I am living proof that NutriSystem does work!" Vickie said of her eighty pound weight loss.

"Well, you were a head turner before but guys are gonna be breakin' their necks to see you now!" Miley said in amazement.

"Now are you gonna introduce me to the woman that has captured your heart?" Vickie said.

"Of course. Aunt Vickie, this is my fiancée, Lilly Truscott. Lilly, this is my Aunt, Vickie Clark." Miley said.

"Stewart. I dropped your Uncle Dave's name." Vickie said referring to her recent divorce. "And it is a pleasure to meet you. You are more beautiful than I imagined."

"Thank you Aunt Vickie." Lilly said as she embraced Vickie.

"You mean you didn't see us on the news?" Miley asked.

"Every time I saw it get ready to come on, I turned the station. When Momma told me about what happened with the cameras in that restaurant, I wanted to scream. The media makes me sick sometimes." Vickie said.

"I second that emotion!" Just then, the petite figure that uttered those words came around the corner.

"Aunt Dolly!" Miley cried out as she bear-hugged the buxom, diminutive woman.

"Hi Baby!" Dolly said as she hugged Miley. "Just make sure you leave some hug for Lilly." Dolly smiled brightly as she released Miley. "Come here Cutie!" Dolly said to Lilly who stepped forward to embrace her. "I missed you two!"

"We missed you Dolly." Lilly said before breaking the embrace. Dolly smiled before her eye caught the two figures sitting on the swings under the tree.

"Is that… Luanne sitting on the swings? Laughing? And is that… that Mikayla girl?" Dolly asked incredulously. Seconds later, she witnessed Luanne and Jennifer slowly lean forward at kiss each other softly. "What in tarnation did I miss around here?"

"Pretty much that." Miley said matter-of-factly. "And Daddy fallin' in love with Kylie… again."

"Kylie? Kylie Westmoreland? From twenty years ago?" Dolly asked. "Well is Jackson getting married?"

"No. But he's bringing his girlfriend with him tonight." Miley said.

"Jackson finally has a girlfriend and not a flavor of the week?" Dolly asked sarcastically.

"It's only been a week but he told me he's hit it off with her better than any body he's ever dated." Miley said.

"They've gone out twice!" Lilly said.

"How many times did we go out before we knew we were for each other?" Miley asked.

"But we've know each other for years! He met her a week ago!" Lilly scoffed.

"Now hold on Lilly." Vickie said. "I know it might sound funny, but it can happen. My oldest son married a girl he only knew for two months. It's been six years and they are as happy as two pigs in a mess of slop."

"I've got to learn all these colorful analogies y'all use down here." Lilly said.

Miley leaned over and whispered into Lilly's ear. "First thing I'll teach you is how to come with a twang." Miley said, causing Lilly to grin from ear to ear. At that moment, Luanne and Jennifer walked in through the back door.

"You two are so nasty." Jennifer said with a playful eye roll as she witnessed Lilly's grin.

"Leave 'em alone. They're in lust, I mean, love." Luanne said causing both she and Jennifer to giggle.

"Hi Luanne." Vickie said.

"Hi Aunt Vickie! How are you?" Luanne said with a pleasant demeanor that shocked both Vickie and Dolly.

"I'm… fine, sweetheart." Vickie said incredulously before breaking the embrace.

"Hi Aunt Dolly!" Luanne stepped forward to embrace her aunt who was still in shock over the transformation of her previously sinister niece. As Luanne broke the embrace, she put her finger up in remembrance of something. "Oh! Here." She reached in her pocket and pulled out some folded bills. "Here's everything I owe you; five hundred dollars. Thank you. It really came in handy." She handed the bills to Dolly who at this point was nearly catatonic. Luanne was notorious for borrowing money and never repaying it.

"You're… welcome, sugar." Dolly eked out.

"Aunt Dolly, Aunt Vickie, I want you to meet my friend, Jennifer." Luanne said.

"It's nice to finally meet you both. Miley and Luanne have told me so much about you two." Jennifer said.

"It's nice to meet you too." Dolly said as she looked down at the crisp hundred dollar bills in her hand, flipping them over several times. "I wish I could say that Luanne told me about you, but this is the first time I've seen her in two months."

"I'm hopin' I can change that." Luanne said with a smile. Moments later, Ruthie poked her head around the corner.

"Vickie, Dolly, can you give me a hand in the kitchen?" Ruthie said.

"We'll help you Mamaw!" Luanne piped up. "You two talk and relax. Let us young'uns take care of it."

"Thank you Luanne!" Ruthie said with surprised enthusiasm. She then looked at Dolly and Vickie who looked as if they were watching an episode of the Twilight Zone.

"Tori, I'm just gonna go wash my hands." Jennifer said in a half-whisper.

"I'll go with you." Luanne said. "We'll be right there Mamaw." Luanne and Jennifer then walked to the bathroom down the hall.

"Tori?" Dolly asked rhetorically. "Ruthie! Is she for real?"

"Dolly, I'm telling you, that Jennifer is the best thing that has ever happened to that girl. She's like a totally different person with her." Ruthie said.

"Did you two have anything to do with that?" Dolly asked.

"No ma'am!" Miley said. "Those two came together on their own. I swear."

"Well, whatever Jennifer's doing, she needs to keep doing it." Vickie said moments before Jennifer and Luanne returned.

"Ready Mamaw." Luanne said before smiling and leading Jennifer by the hand toward the kitchen. Jennifer turned and flashed Miley and Lilly an almost giddy smile before turning and heading toward Ruthie's magical culinary wonderland.

"Show of hands if you thought you'd ever see Mikayla and Luanne together… and giddy." Lilly deadpanned. Five seconds went by with no one raising their hands. "I didn't think so."

About twenty minutes later, dinner began without a hitch. Everyone was there for the start of dinner except for Jackson and Tamera who were driving down from Knoxville.

"Where's Jackson?" Lilly said. "I want to meet the woman that took pity on him and mortgaged her future."

"Now Lilly, my son can still be a bit of a lugnut but he has grown up." Robby Ray said. "He told me that she's a wonderful young lady. College educated; graduated from Howard."

"Where's Howard? I've never heard of it." Vickie said.

"Howard University, Aunt Vickie. It's in Washington, D.C." Miley said. "It's a historically black college." Vickie nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"I hope Old Man Peterson doesn't see her." Ruthie said, referring to the neighbor on the eastern edge of her property.

"Why?" Lilly asked.

"He's one of the Ku Klux Klan holdovers." Bobby Ray said. "He still believes in segregation."

"He wouldn't try to do anything, would he?" Lilly asked.

"No. But he's crotchety enough to yell nasty things." Ruthie said. "Vickie, remember when that substitute UPS driver came to the house a couple of weeks ago?"

"I don't even want to think about the things he said to him." Vickie said.

"It still gets to me that there are people in this world that are so narrow-minded and obtuse." Miley said. Just then Robby Ray hurriedly picked up his knife and clinked it against his glass seconds before Bobby Ray.

"Ten dollar word!" Robby Ray exclaimed. "Cough it up, brother!"

"Dang flabbit!" Bobby Ray said before reaching in his pocket, pulling out ten dollars and reluctantly handing it to Robby Ray.

"Are they like this all the time?" Kylie asked Noel, Bobby Ray's wife.

"Every time they're in the same room." Noel said.

"Kylie, it's so good to see you again. You haven't changed one bit. Still as pretty as ever." Dolly said.

"I have a few wrinkle lines and there's a little more… junk in my trunk, but thank you. That's sweet of you to say." Kylie responded.

"You like junky trunks, Rob, don't cha?" Bobby Ray said in a low whisper causing his brother to drop his head and chuckle.

"Bobby!" Noel chided him. "Mind your manners!"

"I was just…"

"Being inappropriate in front of guests." Noel shot back.

"That's okay. I grew up with six male cousins. I'm like one of the guys." Kylie said.

"No guy I've ever seen." Bobby Ray said chuckling in that same whisper to his brother. Noel's response was to punch Bobby Ray in the arm. "Oww! Woman! You know you're heavy handed!"

"You'll think about that next time you open you fix that forked tongue of yours to speak." Noel said with playful sternness.

"Have I told you how much I like your family?" Lilly said to Miley with a smile. Seconds later, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Miley hopped up. "That's probably Jack… son!" She said in sing-songy fashion. When she reached the door, she could see Jackson and his friend standing on the other side. Miley opened the door. "JERKSON!"

"Hanny Montany!" Jackson said as he embraced his sister. "How ya doing girl?"

"Fine, big brother." Miley said. She then whispered, "She's gorgeous."

"Was there any doubt?" Jackson whispered.

"Yes." Miley shot back as she broke the hug. Jackson smirked and shook his head.

"Miley, this is my friend, Tamera Carson. Tammy, THIS is my sister, international country sensation, Miley Stewart." Jackson said.

"Not yet, but we're gonna get there." Miley said. "Hi Tamera. It's nice to meet you. You're more beautiful than Jackson described."

"Thank you and please, call me Tammy." Tamera said, extending that rare privilege to Miley. "Television and pictures don't do you justice."

"Aww, thank you." Miley said.

"Uhh, excuse me Miles but you already have a girlfriend. This one's mine." Jackson joked.

"I have a fiancée, thank you very much!" Miley said with her infamous "girlfriend" neck roll. "Oh yeah! I went there! And I bought property." Jackson and Tamera laughed. "Come on. Everybody's at the table eating. With Lilly and Jenn at the table, we better hurry if we want some food."

"Jenn is greedy?" Jackson asked.

"She's as bad as Lilly." Miley deadpanned.

"Sweet niblets!" Jackson uttered one of the Stewart family catchphrases in front of Tammy for the first time. Tammy smirked out of the corner of her mouth, thinking to herself how cute Jackson is before following the siblings down the hall toward the dining room.

"Look who I found!" Miley exclaimed. A chorus of hey's, hi's and Jackson's rang around the table in greeting Robby Ray's eldest child. Jackson walked around the table hugging and kissing all of his kinfolk.

"Everybody, I'd like you to meet my friend, Tamera Carson. Tammy, that's my Mamaw, my dad, my uncle Bobby Ray, my aunts Noel, Vickie and Dolly, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lilly, my cousin Luanne and Miley and Lilly's friend Jennifer."

"My friend Jennifer, Cousin!" Luanne corrected Jackson. He looked at Miley who nodded with a toothless smile.

"Sweet niblets!" Jackson uttered again. "Go out of town for one week…"

"And bring back a beautiful young woman with you." Robby Ray interjected. "Offer her a seat, son."

"Of course!" Jackson said as he pulled out a chair for Tamera.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Mrs. Stewart." Tamera said.

"Call me Mamaw or Miss Ruthie and you're welcome sweetheart." Ruthie said.

"So is my baby girl's concert gonna be out of this world?" Robby Ray asked.

"Dad! Come on. We're off the clock." Jackson said.

"It's okay." Tamera said. "Your daughter's concert is gonna be the biggest event to ever hit the Nissan Pavilion. She might even be a rock star." Tamera added, throwing in the title of one of Miley's Hannah Montana hits.

"That's what I like to hear." Robby Ray said with a smile.

"So Miley tells us that your grandmother lives in Knoxville." Ruthie said.

"Yes ma'am. She's lived there all her life." Tamera said. "Miss Effie's still going strong."

"Miss Effie?" Luanne said. "She's not the Miss Effie that lives near Neyland Stadium, is she?"

"The one and only." Tamera said. "You went UT?"

"I lived about six doors down from Miss Effie in college. She makes THE BEST oatmeal raisin cookie I've ever eaten!" Luanne said.

"You should try her peanut butter cookies!" Tamera said.

"Shut up!" Luanne came back laughing.

Jackson looked quizzically at Tamera. "My grandmother would always make batches of homemade cookies for the college kids that lived in her neighborhood."

"This world just gets smaller and smaller." Vickie said.

"Luanne brought us some of those cookies once." Bobby Ray said. "Can you make cookies as well as your grandma?"

"Not quite, but I do all right." Tamera said.

"I didn't get any cookies when I picked you up!" Jackson said.

"She ran out of ingredients." Tamera said. "She needs to go grocery shopping."

"I'd have taken her. You just needed to ask." Jackson said.

"Really?" Tamera asked.

"Absolutely." Jackson said.

"If it has to do with food, he is right there." Lilly deadpanned.

"Thank you Lilly." Jackson said through gritted teeth.

"So… Jackson said you two bought a house." Tamera said to Miley.

"Yeah. It's in Belle Meade and it… is… gorgeous! Especially that huge Jacuzzi!" Miley said.

"And the guest house is almost as big as my parent's house!" Lilly said.

"That's awesome!" Jackson said. "So do you two have anything else you want to share with us like, I don't know, a wedding date?"

"Jackson!" Ruthie exclaimed.

"That's okay Mamaw." Miley said. "Actually, he brought up a good point Lil. We really should set a date before we move in."

"Actually Miles, we should get married before we move in." Lilly said.

"That leaves us less than two months to plan." Miley said.

"Well it's a good thing my lady here does event planning on the side." Jackson said.

Miley looked at Lilly and then back at Jackson and Tamera. "If we gave you a generous budget, could you pull something together in two months?" Miley asked.

"Where would you have the ceremony and the reception?" Tamera asked.

Miley and Lilly locked eyes again, sharing the same thought. Miley then looked at her father as she spoke. "That little white chapel up on the hill."

Robby Ray's mouth fell open. Ruthie felt the sting of tears come upon her suddenly. Bobby Ray and Vickie smiled. "That's where your mother and I got married." Robby Ray said.

"Do you want me to choose someplace else?" Miley asked.

Robby Ray paused for a moment as he felt the onset of tears. "No. Not at all." He paused. "Your mother and I always dreamed of you getting married there. She'd… have loved it. And so do I."

"I told you it would be perfect." Lilly said warmly.

Miley smiled and then turned to Tamera. "Well?"

"I have always wanted to plan the little white chapel wedding. You've got yourself a wedding planner." Tamera said to the cheers of everyone in the room. "Now you just need a date.

"Well, our move-in date is November 15th… how about the 11th?" Miley said.

"Can you two coordinate a wedding and a move at the same time?" Robby Ray asked.

"I'll help them!" Jennifer said. "And I know Renee would help."

"And I'm sure some of my friends from my old school would help too!" Lilly said.

"Oh my god! Lilly, we just set a wedding date!" Miley said.

"We just set a wedding date! Yay!" Lilly bounced like a teenager as she hugged Miley.

"I guess we got some tuxedos to rent, Brother." Bobby Ray said.

"We sure do." Robby Ray said.

"Do you… have a date for the wedding?" Luanne asked Jennifer.

"Funny. I was gonna ask you the same thing." Jennifer said with a smile.

"I know you've got a knockout dress in your closet." Robby Ray said to Kylie.

"Is that your way of asking me to be your date to the wedding?" Kylie asked.

"If it was, would it have worked?" Robby Ray asked.

"Yes." Kylie said with a smile.

"Then yes it was." Robby Ray said with a smile as he hugged and rocked the giggling Kylie.

"Thank you for doing this for her." Jackson said. "That's incredibly nice of you."

Tamera smiled. "You know, I will require full payment from you." She whispered in a tone of voice that Jackson thought he recognized but was still unsure.

"How much are we talking?" Jackson asked.

Tamera put her lips to Jackson's ear. "Let's just say that weddings always make me feel warm and tingly inside." She paused and then added. "Payment… in… full." Jackson simply dropped his head and blushed. "See. I knew I could make you blush."

"When we get back to Malibu, we've got to call everybody!" Miley said.

"Why wait? Let's call 'em tonight!" Lilly said.

"We're getting married!" Miley said.

"We're getting married!" Lilly echoed before tightly embracing Miley once more.

* * *

**Eight chapters down and I don't know how many to go. Now what I need you to do is to go into your closets or to the store, find a nice dress, tuxedo or suit and come back for chapter nine. A Liley wedding is next. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	9. With This Ring, I Thee Wed

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 9**

**With This Ring, I Thee Wed**

**Wednesday, November 8, 2017 – 7 pm - Miley's apartment – Malibu, California**

Almost a month and a half had passed since Miley and Lilly left Tennessee to close the California chapter of their lives. Utilities were scheduled to be turned off, moving companies were scheduled to pick up all belongings and cars were being shipped to their new home.

Miley stood at the window of her neatly packed beachfront apartment and stared out into the black California night. At eleven o'clock the following morning she would be flying out of LAX for the final time as a resident of California, the home that she had known for the last twenty years. She and Lilly said that they would consider buying a summer home in California at some point but decided to focus all of their energies into their new home.

Many things ran through Miley's mind as she stared into the darkness, first and foremost was her love and devotion to Lillian Jessica Truscott. It was like the whirlwind romances she would read about in magazines and tabloids. Less than two months earlier, she and Lilly revealed to each other how they really felt. Less than two months earlier, they consummated their relationship for the first time. Less than two months earlier, they were unceremoniously outed on national television. And now in less than seventy-two hours, they would stand in a little white chapel on a quaint hilltop in eastern Tennessee and declare their lifelong love and devotion to one another in front of a small gathering of family and friends.

"I am gonna miss this place." Miley said softly to herself. "The ocean, the sand, the flip-flops… but we're gonna have a phenomenal life in Tennessee. Dogwood trees, apple orchards, trips to the countryside… God, Lilly I love you so much…" Miley's thoughts were interrupted by the door bell. "Just a minute!" Miley walked over to open the door and found her smiling brother on the other side. "Hey Jackson." Miley said warmly.

"Hey Miles." Jackson stepped forward and kissed Miley on the cheek as he stepped inside. "Looks like you're all set."

"Yeah. I got the futon laid out to sleep on tonight and I have my toiletries. Everything else is packed and ready to go." Miley said.

"You excited yet?" Jackson said as he followed Miley back into her bedroom where the futon was set up in sofa position. She motioned for him to sit down.

"Excited and nervous… and a little sad." Miley said. "You sure you don't want to move to Nashville?"

"I'm gonna stay out here for a while. I'll really miss y'all, but this is home for me." Jackson said.

"I can't believe we're getting married on Saturday." Miley said before pausing. "Life has just been moving in fast forward the last two months. You know that feeling you get, that rush when you're on the roller coaster and you're screaming your lungs out because you're excited and terrified at the same time? That's how I feel right now."

"You know something? I'm proud of the way you've handled everything." Jackson said. "The whole thing with the media and Lilly's dad and Luanne. You're a cool customer."

"When you have family in your corner, you can afford to be cool." Miley said. "You promise me you'll visit?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jackson asked. "You're gonna have to name the guest house after me!" Miley started laughing. "The Jackson Rod Stewart Big Time Fun House!"

"You are the biggest goober!" Miley said playfully.

"Yeah, but I'm your goober." Jackson said.

"Well, I think I might have to step down and let Tammy take my place. She can do so much more for you than I can." Miley joked. Jackson snickered. "You're really into her, huh?"

"Miles, I'm telling you, she's the best. We have so much in common but we're also different. I don't think we'd ever run out of things to talk about." Jackson said. "And she has the most amazing smile. And that laugh…"

"Oh… my… god! Jackson Rod Stewart! You're in love!" Miley said incredulously.

"Naw!"

"Yes you are! I can see little hearts fluttering over your head bursting into little firework sparkles! POOF! POOF! POOF!" Miley said, using her hands as the fireworks bursting into the sky.

"Okay! So maybe I'm a little… a lot in love with her." Jackson admitted.

"Are you gonna tell her? Or are you gonna be like our old man and wait twenty years to do it?" Miley asked.

"I'm gonna tell her after the wedding. She all but told me that weddings make her… frisky." Jackson said.

"Ooh!" Miley said before singing. "Jackson's gonna get some! Jackson's gonna get some!"

"Aren't you a little old to be singing childish made-up songs like that?" Jackson asked playfully.

"No. And you know why? Cause…" Miley started singing again. "I'm gettin' some after the wedding! Gonna get busy with Lilly! Cause she's gonna be my wifey!"

"I do NOT want to think about you and her gettin' busy… okay her, but not you." Jackson said.

"You are a perv. You know that, right?" Miley said.

"And hopefully after the wedding, Tammy will know that too!" Jackson said before devolving into a mini-sadistic laughing fit. Just then the door bell rang. "I'll get it." Jackson walked into the living room followed by Miley. Jackson opened the door to reveal Lilly standing on the other side. "Hey Lilly!" Jackson said as he embraced and kissed Lilly.

"Hey Jackson." Lilly said.

"You ready for Saturday?" Jackson asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Lilly responded.

"Lil, I sang an innocent little song about you and me after the wedding and Jackson said he was thinkin' about you gettin' busy." Miley said in tattletale fashion. Jackson's mouth flew open in disbelief. Lilly responded in typical Lilly fashion.

"PSCHHH! Look at me! Why wouldn't he think about me? I'm magnificent from head to toe!" Lilly said smugly. "But just for the record Jackson, you think about me like that after Saturday and I'll punch you in your visual cortex. You got it?"

"I loves me a feisty woman!" Jackson said as he playfully hugged and rocked Lilly back and forth causing her to giggle. "I'm gonna leave you two alone." He went over to kiss Miley. "I'll see you two on Friday."

"Bye Jackson!" The two women called out to him as he left.

"Hey you." Miley said with a drop in her voice.

"Hey yourself." Lilly said as she walked over to Miley and engaged her in a long, satisfying kiss. When they pulled away, Lilly grinned. "Can we skip the wedding and go straight to the honeymoon?"

"I think the guests would be a little upset with us after flying to Knoxville and being shuttled to Misty Hollow for a hilltop ceremony that doesn't take place because we lack the self control to wait until they go back to their hotels before pawing at each other." Miley said.

"And your point is?" Lilly said earning herself a playful slap on the arm from her soon-to-be wife.

"Come into the bedroom with me." Miley said.

"Miley! We're not married yet!"

"To sit down!" Miley exclaimed. "Sweet niblets!"

"When I become a Stewart, will I be allowed to say that?" Lilly said.

"You can say it now if you want." Miley said. "As far as I'm concerned, you've been a Stewart for twenty years now."

"Really?"

"You started out like a sister to me and… became so much more." Miley said honestly.

"I'm glad. Cause if it had stayed a sister-like relationship and we did the things we've done, that would be incest!" Lilly reasoned.

"There is a part of your brain that I will never be able to figure out the inner workings of." Miley said as she scrunched her face.

"But you're gonna spend the rest of our lives trying, aren't you?" Lilly said with a cute smile.

"I am." Miley said warmly.

"I want to thank you for loving me the way you do." Lilly said. "I couldn't have asked for a better best friend or lover."

"I should be thanking you for saving me." Miley said. "As low as I was with Jake, you always stood by my side and made me feel like all things are possible."

"I'm not doing anything special. It's in my contract." Lilly said.

"Well, after Saturday, you will be contractually obligated to give me as much sex as I want, whenever I want it." Miley purred.

"I've been doing that for the last two months now. What changes after Saturday?" Lilly asked.

"I'll feel like I can ask you to do naughtier things." Miley said.

"Naughtier things like what?" Lilly asked in a purr, intrigued by Miley's statement.

Miley's response was to sing the lyrics from a song. "Things that make you go hmmm! Things that make you go hmmm, hmmm, hmmm!"

"Wow! You pulled that out of the archives! That song's thirty years old! That came out before we were born!" Lilly said of the song by C&C Music Factory.

"I'm trying out new material for… her." Miley said.

"Is… she… really making a comeback?" Lilly said.

"I talked to… her… the other day. I think she's just about ready." Miley said.

"It's been a while." Lilly said.

"I know. But sometimes, the best way to move forward is to go back." Miley said.

"Does my… her… get to make a comeback too?" Lilly asked.

"Who's Batman without his Robin? Of course your… her… gets to comeback too!" Miley said with a smile.

"It's been ten years though. I think we should sex it up a little bit." Lilly said.

"Why do you think I bought those thigh-high white boots with the four-inch heels?" Miley asked.

"Cause you're kinky." Lilly deadpanned.

"You are not gonna get me started tonight. I am going to behave until after the reception." Miley said.

Lilly smiled. "Then I better go home and get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us." Lilly stood up.

"Okay. The car will be there to pick you up at seven. Our flight leaves at eleven." Miley said before stepping forward to kiss Lilly. "Love you Mrs. Stewart."

"Love you too Mrs. Truscott." Lilly said sweetly before slowly turning to leave.

When the door closed, Miley stood in the middle of the living room shook her head smiling and sighed. "Lilly and I are getting married on Saturday… Sweet… niblets."

* * *

**Saturday, November 11, 2017 – 11:15 am – Misty Hollow Free Will Chapel – Misty Hollow, Tennessee**

Fifteen minutes separated Miley and Lilly from their date with destiny. They were in separate rooms in the chapel with their respective maids of honor; Jennifer for Miley and Renee for Lilly; having the finishing touches put on them for the 11:30 ceremony. It was their intention to make the ceremony as short and sweet as possible. They wanted to walk out of the chapel at high noon to the sound of the church bells ringing overhead, so timing was paramount.

"How are we doing on time?" Miley asked.

"We've got fifteen minutes. We're doing great." Jennifer said as she applied Miley's makeup.

"Thank you again for being my maid of honor." Miley said warmly.

"If anybody had told me ten years ago that I would be your maid of honor for your wedding to your blonde skateboard riding sidekick, I'd have laughed in their face." Jennifer said.

"If anybody had told me ten years ago that you would be dating my cousin Luanne, I'd have laughed in their face." Miley replied.

"I wonder what we'll be doing ten years from now?" Jennifer said.

"Lilly and I will be celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary and you and Luanne will be ready to welcome your fourth child into the world." Miley joked.

"Four? I was thinking six." Jennifer deadpanned causing them to laugh. Just then there was a light knock on the door. "As long as you're not Lilly, you can come in." Jennifer said to the person on the other side. The door eased open to reveal…

"RAVEN!" Miley exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat to embrace her.

"Girl! Watch your makeup and your dress! I don't wanna be responsible for ruining it." Raven broke the embrace and stepped back. "Look at you! You look beautiful!"

"Thank you! And thank you so much for coming!" Miley said.

"Are you kidding? Chels and I wouldn't miss this for the world. You were there for us ten years ago, remember?" Raven said, referring to her wedding to Chelsea at Miley's house in Malibu.

"How could I forget? The two most beautiful brides I've ever seen." Miley said.

"Until today. I just came from Lilly's room. Wow!" Raven said incredulously.

"Don't tell me! I get to see her in ten minutes!" Miley said. Another knock on the door signaled the arrival of Raven's better half.

"Hey sweetie!" Chelsea whisper-yelled.

"Chelsea!" Miley giddily chirped as she stood to embrace her.

"You look breathtaking! You are definitely gonna make your father cry." Chelsea said.

"I know. He's a softy." Miley said.

"I don't know if you have one yet but… I made this for you." Chelsea said. She handed Miley a white lace garter. "I stitched together one half of the garter I wore and one half that Rae wore to make this one for you. I gave the other one to Lilly. You don't have to wear it today; I just wanted you to have it. We wish you all the blessings for a successful marriage. We love you."

"If Jennifer didn't scare me into not crying before I get to the altar, I would be bawling right now. Thank you. I'm putting this on right now." Miley said.

Raven decided to lighten the mood as she watched Miley slip on the garter. "Wow! Look at those legs! Lilly's gonna have some long, sexy ear warmers tonight!" Raven said playfully.

"Ear warmers, hip warmers, waist warmers… you know what I'm sayin'!" Miley joked causing all the women to howl in laughter. Another knock on the door interrupted the laughter. Tamera opened the door and walked in.

"Okay Miley. It's showtime." Tamera said.

"We'll see you out there." Chelsea said as she put her arm around Raven's waist. "Love you sweetie."

"Love you girl." Raven added as they exited the room.

"Love you guys." Miley said softly as Tamera and Jennifer looked on.

"They're more beautiful in person than on TV." Tamera said before turning her attention to one of her two brides. "You ready to go?" Miley nodded quickly with a nervous smile.

"There's nothing to be nervous about." Tamera said as she stood directly in front of Miley, taking the taller woman by the shoulders. "The love of your life is at the end of the hallway waiting to walk down the aisle with you. Just imagine her looking more stunningly gorgeous than she has ever looked and know that she is all yours. Think about all the laughter and the tears you've shared over the years and all the good times you have ahead of you. The love of your life is at the end of the hallway… and she is all yours."

Tamera's words ignited a fire inside Miley that was reflected in her crystal blue eyes. A definitive sparkle began to shine in her eyes that lit her whole face up. In an instant, she was transformed from a nervous bride into a brilliantly confident bride that was ready to accept her destiny.

"Damn you're good." Jennifer said of Tamera's pep talk.

"She is good." Miley said as she stared at the door that led to the hallway.

"It's 11:25. Stand here. I'll be right back." Tamera said as Miley nodded.

Out in the hallway, Lilly stood with her back to the end of the hallway from which Miley would emerge.

"Is she out yet?" Lilly asked somewhat nervously.

"Not yet." Renee said as she looked down the hallway.

"I can't stop shaking." Lilly said.

"Breathe." Renee said.

"I forgot how." Lilly said. Just then Tamera walked up to her.

"How are you holding up?" Tamera asked.

"She forgot how to breathe." Renee said.

Tamera took her position directly in front of Lilly as she did Miley. She took the blonde's shaky hands in her own and looked directly into her soft blue eyes.

"You didn't forget how to breathe. You know why?" Tamera began. "Because you didn't forget Miley. With Miley in your life you will never forget how to breathe because she is your life's breath. One look at her fills your lungs with air and takes your breath away at the same time. She is the oxygen that nourishes your blood. She is that gentle ocean breeze that dances across your face when you're lying out on the sand. And a half an hour from now, no man or woman will ever be able to put that feeling asunder. Take a deep breath." Tamera said. Lilly took that deep breath. "That is the woman you love flowing through you, refreshing you, making you ready. And when you look into her eyes, all nervousness will be gone. Now close your eyes and breathe."

Lilly slowly closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths. As images of Miley flashed through her brain, she felt her heart rate slow to normal. A satisfied, confident smile washed over her face. She was settling into a mental zone that would carry her through the ceremony. She felt the time was at hand.

"Open your eyes, Lilly."

When Lilly opened her eyes, she felt her lungs fill with air and then leave in an instant. Miley, in all her white silk clad glory, was standing right in front of her.

The hallway radiated with the electric intensity that the two women generated as they gazed at one another. Each woman looked at the other knowing that their reason for living was standing before them. Never before had they gazed into each other's eyes, into each other's souls for so long. It was as if they were absorbing the essence of the other woman to hold on to.

"I don't think I've ever loved you as much as I do at this moment." Miley said in a low whisper as Jennifer, Renee, Tamera and both fathers looked on.

"I was going to say the same thing to you." Lilly said. "I don't even know what word to use to describe the way you look to me right now."

"Whatever that word is, it's the same one I'd use for you." Miley said.

Tamera was almost afraid to interrupt the smoldering encounter between the two brides, however, the time was at hand and she had to get things started.

"Ladies, it's 11:29 and you paid me to get this thing started on time… so…" Tamera said.

Miley extended her hand for Lilly to take. Lilly, never taking her eyes from Miley, took her hand as they turned to face the main chapel doors. Ed Truscott and Robby Ray took their places at the side of their respective daughters. Each man looked down at his baby girl and smiled warmly.

The prelude to the wedding march began playing. In the hallway, they could hear everyone in the chapel rising to their feet. Just before the doors opened, Lilly couldn't help but to put her own exclamation on the moment. She leaned over to whisper into Miley's ear, "This is way cooler than any Hannah concert. But don't tell Hannah I said that." Miley gazed at her and smiled seconds before the doors to the sanctuary slowly opened. The two women gripped each other's hand tightly and took their first steps forward into the first moment of the rest of their lives.

Later on in the ceremony…

"If anyone in this assembly can show just cause why these two women should not be joined in matrimony, speak now, or forever hold your peace." The officiant said.

Lilly and Miley scanned the faces of the assembled guests for signs of discord. On Miley's second eye scan, she spotted someone near the back of the chapel that made her blood run cold. Lilly read Miley's eyes and immediately worried.

"Miley, what's wrong?" Lilly whispered.

"Back row, all the way to the left." Miley whispered back. Lilly's eyes quickly moved to find the location that Miley was referring to. When her eyes fell on that seat, she felt her spine stiffen.

"Miley, what is Jake doing here?" Lilly asked in a gruff whisper about Miley's ex-husband.

"… vows."

"I don't know. I didn't invite him." Miley said. "At least he didn't object."

"I want to kick his ass so bad." Lilly whispered.

"Ladies…"

"Why? You got the girl. He got nothing. You win. Be the bigger man." Miley said.

"That's right. I am the bigger man!" Lilly whispered.

"Ladies!" The officiant whisper-yelled. Miley and Lilly snapped back to attention. "We're ready for your vows now."

Miley and Lilly sheepishly looked at the guests that were eagerly anticipating their vows. "Sorry y'all! We used to get in trouble for talking in class too!" Miley said causing everyone inside the chapel to laugh.

The two ladies looked at each other and recited very simple yet poignant vows.

"Lilly, we're going to fight sometimes; we're going to love sometimes. We're going to cry sometimes, we're going to laugh sometimes. But with everything we go through, I will never take you for granted and I will never forsake you. You are my heart, my soul, my life. I will love you forever and ever… plus a day." Miley said as Lilly managed to hold her emotions in check, save for one tear that snuck out near the end of Miley's vows.

"Miley, we're going to fight sometimes; we're going to love sometimes. We're going to cry sometimes, we're going to laugh sometimes. But with everything we go through, I will never take you for granted and I will never forsake you. There is nothing in this world or any other that I wouldn't do for you. If I have to, I will lay down my life for you. You mean everything to me. I will love you forever and ever. And I'll see your plus one day and raise you two." Lilly said, causing the guests to laugh at the poker analogy ad lib and bringing wide smiles to Miley and Lilly's faces.

"Seeing that all vows have been promised and rings exchanged, there is nothing more to be said except this… be kind and loving to one another. Cherish each other always. Never stop communicating and if you do allow the sun to set on a disagreement, make sure that a brighter sun rises with you in the morning." The officiant said. "Oh, and by the way… by the power vested in me by the town of Misty Hollow, Blount County and the state of Tennessee, I pronounce you joined in matrimony. You… may kiss your bride."

Miley and Lilly broadly grinned as they sealed their nuptials with a kiss to the applause of their assembled guests. Halfway down their return to back of the church, the bells began to sound, signifying that 12 noon was almost at hand. On the twelfth and final chime, the doors of the chapel were thrust open and Miley and Lilly exited the building for the first time as newlyweds on the unseasonable warm and sunny November day.

As the guests filed out of the chapel to the reception site about thirty yards away from the chapel, Miley, Lilly and their matrons of honor, along with family members and select friends took pictures inside the chapel.

"You just couldn't wait for me could you?" Oliver asked playfully of Lilly as he embraced her.

"You left me and went to Chicago! What was I supposed to do?" Lilly playfully shot back as she broke the embrace and punched Oliver in the arm.

"You couldn't resist putting your hands on Triple O, not even on your wedding day!" Oliver said, puffing out his chest.

Lilly then went into a robotic deadpan. "Oh. Yes. Baby. You. Make. Me. Feel. So. Good."

"Lil! We are in a church. Remember that." Miley reminded her wife. "Now move so I can say hi to my Ollie." Miley stepped forward and embraced Oliver. "Thank you so much for coming."

"Are you kidding me? Miss the two of you getting married? Not on your life." Oliver said just as he broke the embrace. "I just hope the two of you return the favor in June." Miley and Lilly's mouths dropped open as he turned and helped a strikingly attractive brunette to her feet. "Miley, Lilly, this is my fiancée, Lieutenant Graciela Montez. Grace for short. Grace, these are my best friends, Miley and Lilly."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Grace said. "He talks about you so much, I feel like I know you."

"I'm so sorry guys. Grace and I happened so fast I didn't get a chance to tell you." Oliver said.

"You fell for your partner! I knew it!" Lilly exclaimed. "The last time I talked to you I asked you about your partner and you just said she's all right. I knew you had a thing for her! You go Ollie!"

"We are so happy for you!" Miley said as she embraced them both. "Is the wedding gonna be in Chicago?"

"Yeah. That's where all of Grace's family is. They are great." Oliver said.

"I had a feeling the three of us would get married right around the same time." Lilly said.

"And now the four of us can get a picture taken together. Come on!" Miley said as they made their way back up to the altar.

After pictures were taken and introductions were made, the reception went in to full swing with family and friends mingling with the happy couple. Lilly and Miley were in the middle of a rare moment alone when their giddy conversation was interrupted by a blast from the not-so-distant past.

"Excuse me, Miley, Lilly?"

Miley and Lilly turned around, coming face to face with Miley's ex-husband, Jake Ryan. Lilly immediately stepped forward, her jaw set, ready to pounce.

"Jake?" Lilly started with eerie calm. "The only reason I am not kicking your ass all the way up to Knoxville right now is because this is our wedding day. I don't know how you found out about it and frankly, I don't care. So you can slither back to your car and drive into the nearest body of water, preferably a deep lake." Lilly was on fire. "Do you realize the pain you caused MY WIFE when the two of you were married?" Robby Ray saw the conversation from afar and started over to intervene when Miley put up her hand, halting him in his tracks. She gave her father the okay sign with her hand and begged him off. Lilly continued her subdued rant. "And now you have the audacity, the unmitigated gall, to show up on the most important day of our lives? You better have one hell of an excuse for being here." Miley took Lilly's hand and squeezed it and turned to her whispering, "It's okay."

"Actually Lilly, I do have an excuse for being here." Jake said, his voice heavy with contrition. "I just wanted to tell you Miley how sorry I am for hurting you. I took you for granted from the day we got married and I regret that."

"I'm listening." Miley said.

"I treated you horribly and you deserved better than I gave you. When I found out that you were marrying Lilly, I knew that you did get better." Jake said.

"You know what Jake? If you want to absolve yourself of your sins, go see a priest." Lilly scoffed. "It is not our job to make you feel better about being a world-class prick."

"You're right." Jake said. "And I want to apologize to you too. Putting Miley through hell also put you through it as well. You deserved better from your best friend's husband. I'm sorry."

Lilly looked at Miley who was searching Jake's face for any signs of treachery. She could find none.

"I didn't want any unfinished, bad feelings you had for me stand in the way of your happiness with Lilly. I just wanted to come here to apologize to you and leave you my wedding gift." Jake said.

"Jake, I don't need a gift from you…" Miley started.

"I know." Jake said. "But you're entitled to it… for all you've been through. Here. But wait until I leave to open it. Congratulations to both of you and Lilly, take care of her. She deserves the best." Jake said as he handed Miley an envelope, dropped his head and turned to leave.

After a few seconds, Miley called to him. "Jake!" She lifted her dress and took several steps toward him. She paused for a second before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. Take care of yourself." Jake mustered a smile before turning and walking toward his car.

"You are a much better woman than I am." Lilly said. "I could not have put my lips on him after what he did to you."

"Nothing and no one is going to ruin this day. Not Jake Ryan, my ill will towards him, nothing. Now let's see what he gave us." Miley said.

"Whatever it is it's probably cheesy and fake just like his smile." Lilly spat. Miley smirked and chuckled before opening the envelope. Miley pulled out the hand written note.

_**I know that in our divorce arrangement you said that you didn't want anything, just to be done with me. But in the five years we were married, you were there for me, even though I didn't return the favor. I know this can't make up for the time you lost, but hopefully, it can help you enjoy the time you have. Love, Jake**_

It was then that Miley noticed a second, smaller envelope inside with the words, "Half… for you." With Lilly looking over her shoulder, Miley opened the envelope to reveal a certified cashier's check for six point five million dollars; exactly one-half of Jake's thirteen million dollar haul from his last movie.

"I'll be damned." Miley said in a whisper.

Lilly, getting used to seeing large sums of money written out at this point, simply nodded her head. "Good. You deserve every penny and then some. What are you gonna do with it? Invest it?" Lilly asked.

Miley looked at the check, then at Lilly. "Something like that." Miley said as she took several steps over to the gift table, taking the pen off the table and scribbled on the back of the check. "Here." Miley handed the check to Lilly who turned it over to look at what Miley wrote. _**Lillian J. Truscott-Stewart.**_

"Miley?"

"You can't start a fire without a spark and you can't start a school without money." Miley said. "I lured you to Tennessee by giving you the idea of starting your own charter school. I think six point five million dollars is enough to get you off the ground, don't you think?"

"I could make love to you right now." Lilly said with all the sincerity she had in her heart.

"I think the guests might get a little uncomfortable… especially our parents." Miley said. "Just remember this feeling tonight."

"I think I can do that." Lilly said.

"I know you can." Miley said. "Now, let's go mingle Mrs. Stewart."

Lilly smiled. "Lead the way Mrs. Truscott."

Miley and Lilly linked arms and began to do another round of mingling together, just like they did with everything else.

* * *

**That is the end of chapter nine. Lilly and Miley are now married with more money than they can shake a stick at thanks to Miley's contract and Jake's generosity. What is in store for them next? Come on back and find out. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	10. School Daze

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 10**

**School Daze**

**Tuesday, February 6, 2018 – 7:03 am – Miley and Lilly's house - Belle Meade, Tennessee**

It was just past 7 am in Belle Meade, Tennessee. Miley had been awake for the last forty-five minutes making coffee and selecting her outfit for her 10 am meeting at Arista Nashville. She allowed Lilly to sleep in knowing that Lilly had a long day ahead of her. She was going out with their real estate agent looking for commercial properties that could either be leased or purchased for use as a school. Then she scheduled a lunch meeting with Ariel Scott, the woman Bobby Ray had recommended to her for a teaching position. Lilly had put her all into making the dream of a charter school a reality. She spent nights planning everything from the curricula to the school motto.

To say that Miley was proud of Lilly was an understatement. If anyone asked Miley, Lilly was the heart and soul of their marriage. Lilly's determination when it comes to something that she wants was inspiring to Miley. Whenever she was in the studio and thought about quitting for the day or abandoning a song, she thought about Lilly's doggedness and pressed forward. Lilly went the extra mile as often as she could and Miley vowed to herself to do the same.

Lilly blinked her eyes open to the bright late winter sun shining through the windows in their master bedroom. She lay in the bed staring at the ceiling in an attempt to will herself to get up. She received her motivation moments later when she heard the shower turn on signaling that Miley was moments away from stepping in. Lilly slid out of bed, put on her robe and shuffled across the massive room into the bathroom. She was slightly disappointed to find that Miley had already stepped inside the large shower stall.

"Morning sweetie! How did you sleep?" Miley asked from inside the shower.

"Like a lamb. You?" Lilly said as she placed a bead of toothpaste on her toothbrush and began brushing.

"Good." Miley replied. "You know Lil, I was thinking… what would you say about us getting a dog?"

"A DUG?" Lilly exclaimed with a mouthful of toothpaste. She then spit it out and quickly rinsed. "A DOG? I'D LOVE A DOG! A BIG, SLOBBERY SAINT BERNARD!"

"Babe, ya lost me at slobbery." Miley deadpanned.

"Okayyy… how about… a golden retriever!" Lilly said.

"Now you're talkin'! I love golden retrievers!" Miley said.

"I know. Remember the one that roamed fraternity row on campus?" Lilly recalled.

"Oh yeah! Snickers! He was so adorable!" Miley said. She was slightly startled when the glass door to the shower slid open seconds before Lilly seductively dropped her robe and stepped inside. "What are you doing?" Miley asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Lilly purred. "I'm joining you."

"I can see that. But, it's after seven and I have to be downtown by ten." Miley said.

"And I have to be in Brentwood by nine. So?" Lilly purred again as she stepped forward and pressed her naked body against Miley's and placed her arms around Miley's waist.

"So… I suggest that whatever you have in mind, you make it quick and good." Miley purred.

"You catch on fast, Truscott." Lilly said as she placed a kiss on Miley's neck.

"You know I get turned on when you call me that." Miley said.

"I know you do. Now are you gonna kiss me Truscott or what?" Lilly said with a raised eyebrow. Miley matched Lilly's raised brow with one of her own before deeply kissing the slightly taller woman. When Miley broke the kiss, Lilly's eyes glassed over. "You are the best deep kisser ever."

"And to think, I haven't even kissed you down there yet." Miley purred again, causing Lilly to ravenously kiss her, setting off the beginning of a passionate encounter.

The two women began pawing at one another in yet another passionate, bordering on violent encounter. After several minutes of exchanged kissing on the neck, collarbone and breasts, Lilly spoke up.

"Miley, we're gonna slip and fall in here!" Lilly breathlessly exclaimed as she had her hands tangled in Miley's wet hair as Miley sucked and nipped at her nipple.

"You're right." Miley growled as she flung the shower door open. The two of them stepped out, nearly falling to the floor as they passionately kissed and groped their way across the bathroom with the five-foot-nine inch Miley pinning the five-foot-six and a half inch Lilly to the door. The two were dripping wet but could care less as they devoured each other.

Miley quickly reached between Lilly's legs and pushed two fingers inside her. Lilly gasped and then screamed as Miley found her rhythm. Lilly returned the favor as she began rubbing Miley's clit in circles, nearly buckling her knees in the process. The two of them pressed their wet bodies together as tightly as possible, nipping and biting the other one's shoulder as waves of pleasure shot through them. Moments later, both women reached their limit as their bodies yielded to the intense sensations and gave them the release they so fiercely sought.

As their bodies began to calm, they looked at one another and smiled.

"What time are you getting home?" Lilly asked.

"About four." Miley said.

"I'm meeting you in that bed at five-thirty." Lilly growled.

"Yes ma'am." Miley said. "Should I bring anything with me?"

Lilly's eyes lit up. "Do you want to bring something with you?"

"I don't know. It may be fun." Miley said with a sly smile.

"Have you been hiding toys from me?" Lilly asked.

"No. But there's this place downtown where I can get some." Miley said.

Lilly looked at Miley. "Five-thirty. Not a second later." Lilly paused. "What are you gonna get?"

"It'll be a surprise." Miley grinned.

"You are so nasty." Lilly said with a grin.

"That's why you've gotta come help me clean up. Come on." Miley said as she began leading Lilly back to the running shower.

"What about your meeting?" Lilly said.

"I'm Miley Stewart. I can be a few minutes late." Miley purred.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Lilly purred as they headed back to the shower.

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**Tuesday, February 6, 2018 – 12:15 pm – Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery – Nashville**

Lilly arrived at the restaurant in downtown Nashville about fifteen minutes late. She walked up to the host station with no idea what her lunch companion looked like, as she didn't bother to ask her Uncle Bobby Ray for a description.

"Excuse me?" Lilly said to the hostess. "I'm Lillian Truscott-Stewart. I had a twelve o'clock reservation. Has my party arrived yet?"

"Yes ma'am. Follow me." The hostess said as she led Lilly toward the back of the restaurant. Before she reached the table, she heard what she believed was the most adorable giggle/laugh she had ever heard.

"Well what did she say then?" The blonde at the table asked the person on the other end of her cell phone call. Again, her cute giggle morphed into a cute belly laugh that made Lilly smile. "Are you serious?" The blonde dropped the phone from her ear and put her head down on the table as she cracked up laughing. When she lifted her head to resume her conversation, she saw someone out of the corner of her eye standing at the table. "Oh my goodness! Ginger, let me call you later… Okay, bye."

"Ginger sounds like she's a real trip." Lilly said with a smile.

"That was my sister. She is always good for a laugh." The blonde said.

"So's my nutty brother." Lilly said, referring to her older brother Evan. She then extended her hand. "Lilly Truscott-Stewart."

"Ariel Scott. Nice to meet you." Ariel said as she stood up. The one word that came to Lilly's mind when Ariel stood to her full four-foot-eleven inch height was "pixy". There was no doubt that Ariel Scott was attractive with her golden blonde hair, ridiculously curvy frame and megawatt smile that would melt the frostiest heart. But as Lilly looked at her, she decided that Ariel Scott was the cutest grown woman she had ever laid eyes on. She couldn't wait to tell Miley about her. "I'm sorry about the phone call…"

"Don't apologize. I was fifteen minutes late. I had a conversation with my wife this morning and it threw my whole schedule off." Lilly said as they sat down. Just then, Ariel leaned in to whisper something confidential.

"My husband and I sometimes call it a conversation too." Ariel whispered with a smile and a wink.

Lilly chuckled incredulously. _She's got balls to crack a joke like that in a job interview. I think I like her already. _"So, since I'm late I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Since I didn't have time to get a resume from you, why don't you nutshell it for me."

"Okay." Ariel chirped. "Bachelor's in education from Oklahoma State, Master's in education from Georgia and I am currently pursuing my doctorate at Vanderbilt. I worked in the Oklahoma City school system for three years, the Atlanta school system for four, the Knoxville school system for eight and since my husband and I moved to Nashville recently, I'm looking to catch on here. Bobby Ray told me about your charter school idea and I jumped at the chance. I've been in state-run educational systems for fifteen years and I'm ready for a new challenge."

"Hell, you should be running this school, not me!" Lilly exclaimed. "I don't know what you were paid in your last position but whatever it was I'll top it by thirty percent. Pending verification of your credentials, consider yourself hired." Ariel's response was her now famously cute giggle. "But Ariel, and mind you this has nothing to do with you being hired and it's technically illegal for me to ask you this, but you don't look old enough to have been in education… or any field for fifteen years. Woman to woman, may I ask how old you are?"

"I'll be forty-three in July." Ariel said.

"Holy shit! I'm sorry. I mean, holy crap! I could have sworn you were my age!" Lilly said.

"How old are you?" Ariel asked.

"Almost twenty-nine." Lilly said.

"You just made my day, my week, my year! If I were into women I'd kiss you! No offense! Aww heck, who cares!" Ariel rambled before placing a kiss on Lilly's cheek. "And before you ask, I'm not on any drugs! I just get jumpy when I get excited!"

"Your husband must be the luckiest man on earth in the bedroom!" Lilly said, feeling emboldened to joke with her in such a way given her earlier joke.

"You have no idea." Ariel said causing Lilly to chuckle incredulously and shake her head which caused Ariel to laugh. "Just so you know, I can be deadly serious too."

"One undergraduate degree, one post-graduate and working on a second one? I believe you." Lilly said. "Now what do you say we order some food and talk about how we're gonna educate the children of Nashville."

Lilly and Ariel talked for the next hour and a half about their views on education, life, family and friends.

"I'm sorry Ariel but I have to go. But you and your husband have to come over for dinner one evening." Lilly said.

"We'd love too." Ariel said. "By the way, I have a teenage daughter that loved Hannah and Lola when she was little. When I told her that I was meeting you today, she begged me to get an autograph from you. Would you mind?" Ariel went in her purse and produced her daughter's autograph book.

"How old's your daughter?" Lilly asked.

"Seventeen." Ariel said.

"You DO NOT have a seventeen year-old daughter!" Lilly challenged. Ariel produced a picture of her family.

"That's my husband Christian, my daughter Jessica, we call her Jess, and my eight year-old son Taylor." Ariel said.

"My middle name is Jessica." Lilly said warmly. "Your family is beautiful."

"So's your wife." Ariel said. "Have you encountered any nasty people?"

"Not outwardly nasty." Lilly said as she signed the book as her former alter ego, Lola Lufnagle. "We get looks from time to time when we go out but no one has said anything to our faces. Look, make sure you bring your daughter to dinner too."

"Really? She'd love that." Ariel said. "Thank you so much." They both stood and Ariel gave Lilly a hug.

"You're welcome. I'll call you tomorrow and set up a time for us to meet. We've got a lot to do if we want to get up and running by the fall." Lilly said.

"Call me anytime." Ariel said. "Take care and drive safe."

"I will. You too." With that, Lilly exited the restaurant and went back out to her car to head to her 2:30 meeting with her real estate agent. "Cutie pie." She said to herself about Ariel. "There will never be a dull moment with her around. I just gotta make sure I keep her away from sugar. She'd get so high, she'd never come down." Lilly then hopped into her car and drove off.

Later on that evening, Lilly made good on her promise to meet Miley in the bed at exactly five-thirty. At a few minutes past seven, Lilly rolled over onto her back and breathlessly panted, ending her hour and a half "workout" with her wife.

"Holy shit! I can't feel my legs." Lilly announced. "You have fucked all the nerve endings out of my legs."

Miley laughed hysterically. "You are a nut case! You can't fuck nerve endings out of somebody's legs!"

"Tell my legs that." Lilly said. "I've got to start running again. You are gonna kill me, I swear."

Miley chuckled as she stared at the ceiling. "I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks. You hungry?"

"Starving. Whose turn is it to cook?" Lilly asked.

"Yours." Miley said.

"Gimme the phone. I'm calling Domino's." Lilly said. Miley lifted her head and looked at Lilly with a raised eyebrow. "What? I'm making something for dinner… a phone call to Domino's for delivery!"

"Okay. Hang on a sec. I wanna call Jenn. She texted me and said she was gonna call me this afternoon and didn't." Miley said as she dialed Jennifer's home number. "Answering machine."

"It's only four in California. Try her cell." Lilly said. Miley dialed Jennifer's cell phone.

"_Hello."_

"Hey Loser. You were supposed to call me." Miley said.

"_Sorry. I was kinda busy."_

"Whatcha up to?"

"_About to order some dinner."_

"So how are you and Luanne doing? I haven't talked to you in a couple of weeks." Miley said.

"_We're doing great."_

"I know you miss her, don't you?"

"_Not as much as you think."_

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"_Weeeellll, you know how I told you that I was coming to town next week to visit?"_

"Yeah?"

"_Well, I'm kinda sorta in Knoxville now. Visiting Luanne. I flew in today."_

"Oh my god! Have you two?…"

"_Not yet. But if I can get you off the phone, I might have a different answer for you tomorrow."_

"Well far be it from me to be a cockblocker! Please, do your thang and call me when you recover. We Stewart women are quite… vigorous in our lovemaking."

"_I can tell by the smile on Lilly's face. As a matter of fact, I can hear her smiling on the phone now."_

"Love you Jenn!"

"_Love you too Miles. Give Lilly my love. I call you tomorrow."_

"Bye!" Miley said before hanging up the phone. "She's in Knoxville at Luanne's place." Miley said to Lilly.

"Is tonight the night?" Lilly asked.

"It's looking that way." Miley said.

"So since I'm a Stewart woman now, I can be included in the vigorous lovemaking tradition." Lilly said.

"That you can." Miley said.

"Care to go another round?" Lilly asked in a purr.

"What about your legs?" Miley asked.

"You mean the ones that'll be wrapped around your head in a few minutes?" Lilly asked confidently. Miley just smiled in response. "I thought so. Let me call in this pizza and then… your ass is mine."

Miley grinned. "I really think I'm gonna like being married to you… a lot."

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**Tuesday, February 6, 2018 – 7:15 pm – Luanne Stewart's apartment – Knoxville, Tennessee**

Luanne and Jennifer had just ordered a pizza of their own. Luanne had picked Jennifer up from the airport that afternoon after leaving work. They went to visit Tamera's grandmother, Miss Effie and pick up some of her homemade cookies before coming back to Luanne's place. They were sitting on the sofa with Luanne having one leg tucked underneath her, the other hanging off the sofa. Jennifer was sitting opposite her, mirroring her position.

"I really missed you." Jennifer said.

"I missed you too." Luanne said. "I didn't know how much I'd miss you until you left."

"So when are you coming out to visit me?" Jennifer asked.

"Well, I had planned on taking some vacation time in June." Luanne said.

"I don't think I can wait that long." Jennifer said.

"You can't?" Luanne asked incredulously.

"Tori, I'm crazy about you." Jennifer said sweetly. "And to be perfectly honest, I am kinda hoping you and I can… take our relationship to the next level."

Luanne's eyes softened even further. "I've been waiting for you to say that." Luanne's sentence was interrupted by the door. "I'll get it." Luanne got up to answer the door. The pizza delivery guy handed her the pizza. She handed him a twenty and told him to keep the change, to his delight. She came back to the living room and sat the pizza down on the coffee table.

"You were saying?" Jennifer said.

"I was about to say…" Luanne scooted closer to Jennifer and dropped her voice into a purr that rivaled Miley's in its intensity. "I was about to say… that I want you. I've wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you after that press conference."

"You looked sexy that day." Jennifer said, suddenly feeling her mouth get dry. "I need you."

Luanne resisted her natural inclination and slowly moved in to kiss Jennifer ever so gently. The kiss was soft and sweet with an underlying current of raw intensity.

"I want to make love to you." Luanne said softly, almost not believing herself. Never in her life had she said that to anyone. She was an expert at raw, libidinous, meaningless sex but had never made love with anyone. Just then, Jennifer smiled a warm smile that made Luanne's insides flip. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that in that instant she had fallen in love with the former teen pop star.

Because of her lack of experience with women, Jennifer allowed Luanne to take the lead. The taller woman gently leaned forward, guiding Jennifer onto her back. Luanne continued kissing Jennifer for a moment before lifting her head and looking down at the brunette. Luanne's hair fell down around her face allowing Jennifer to reach up and gently push strands away. Before withdrawing her hand, she gently cupped Luanne's cheek and caressed it. Luanne closed her eyes and turned her face toward Jennifer's hand, inhaling her light citrus scent

"Come on." Luanne said as she lifted herself off of Jennifer and stood to her feet, reaching down to pull Jennifer to her feet and leading her to the bedroom. When they reached the bedroom, Luanne stopped at the foot of the bed. She engaged Jennifer in another slow, erotic kiss that each of the women savored. After a moment or two, Luanne broke the kiss and took a half a step back, raising her hands to the top button of Jennifer's purple blouse. Jennifer's heart began to pound as Luanne slowly opened each button with deliberate purpose as if she were taking a mental snapshot of each button being freed.

When she reached the last button, Luanne slowly slid the garment off of Jennifer's shoulders, placing a kiss on Jennifer's shoulder blade as she guided the blouse down the beautiful Latina's arms and to the floor. She then began kissing Jennifer's neck and collarbone, lingering long enough please but not too long as to tease. Jennifer's body quivered under the masterful manipulation of Luanne's touch. Luanne smiled as Jennifer's nimble fingers played with the bottom of her baby blue cashmere sweater. She slowly lifted her hands above her head allowing Jennifer to slowly lift the sweater until it was clear of her body. Both women stood face to face in their bare feet in their blue jeans and nearly identical black cotton and lace bras. The symmetry of the moment was not lost on either of them as they took in the sight of the other.

Luanne stepped forward and took Jennifer by the shoulders, slowly turning her until her back was to her. She placed another kiss on Jennifer's shoulder blade before unhooking her bra. Allowing her bra to fall to the floor, Luanne gently cupped Jennifer's supple breasts as Jennifer's head fell back and to the side in a blissful state. Jennifer then brought her hands up, placing them on top of Luanne's for several moments as Luanne caressed her. Finally, Jennifer turned to face Luanne and kissed her again with slightly more intensity but still not increasing the speed of her movements.

Jennifer brought her hands down to the valley in between Luanne's breasts where her hook lay. Jennifer slowly unclasped the hook and, hooking her thumbs inside the shoulder straps, slid the bra away from Luanne's torso, exposing her to Jennifer's large brown eyes for the first time. Jennifer bent her head down to take the light brown nipple into her mouth, gently sucking, quickly bringing it to full attention. After a several moments, she switched to the other nipple, providing the same level of stimulation. Luanne purred her approval of Jennifer's actions as she ran her hands through Jennifer's jet black hair.

After several moments, Luanne placed her finger under Jennifer's chin to bring her face to face with her once again. As Luanne kissed her again, she lowered her hands to Jennifer's waist, unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans. Jennifer took a moment to wriggle herself free from her jeans, letting them fall around her ankles. She stepped out of them and helped Luanne do the same with her denim hip huggers.

Luanne placed one more kiss on Jennifer's lips before issuing a softly spoken request. "Lay down on your stomach."

Jennifer complied as she knelt on the bed and lowered herself onto her stomach. Luanne then positioned herself on top of Jennifer as she softly kissed the side of her neck, moving arduously around the back of her neck, down in between her shoulder blades and along her spine. Jennifer had long since closed her eyes as the sensation of Luanne's lips on her skin sent electric charges throughout her.

When Luanne reached the base of her spine, just where the waistband of her panties lay, Luanne painstakingly slid Jennifer's underwear down, placing kisses on bare skin as she went. Jennifer instinctively lifted her pelvis to allow Luanne to remove her underwear.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your butt is?" Luanne asked softly.

"Not… like this." Jennifer answered meekly, feeling her circuits about to overload.

"Every inch of you is beautiful." Luanne said as Jennifer shuddered again. Luanne then placed several more kisses on Jennifer's backside before gently rolling her over onto her back. Jennifer looked down lovingly as Luanne placed several kisses on her stomach before descending past her belly button to her bikini line. "Are you nervous?" Luanne asked, knowing that it was Jennifer's first time with a woman.

"A little." Jennifer whispered.

"I'll go slow." Luanne whispered back as she slowly ventured further. Jennifer thought that she would go crazy as she felt Luanne's breath on her clit seconds before she kissed it for the first time. Jennifer moaned softly upon first contact. She moaned again after Luanne's second kiss and again following the third. When Luanne snuck her tongue out and flicked it gently against Jennifer's center, the beautiful young diva gasped and reached down tangling her hands in Luanne's hair.

Luanne spent the next several minutes bringing Jennifer to the brink of release and back again. Jennifer didn't cry out as much as she shuddered and quivered over and over again. She had spent the last ten minutes on the brink of tears, never having experienced such a physical connection with anyone in her life.

"Oh god Tori. Please make me come." Jennifer softly purred using her pet name for Luanne. Beautiful brunette number one smiled upon hearing the plea of beautiful brunette number two. Taking the verbal cue, Luanne concentrated her energy on stimulating Jennifer's clit. She could sense the build up in her lover and knew that it was just a matter of time before she climaxed. Moments later, that matter of time became a matter of the present as she delivered Jennifer's longest and strongest orgasm of her life.

As Jennifer's body began to calm down, her mind and her emotions did something that she did not expect in a million years; she broke down and softly sobbed.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry." Jennifer said as she wiped her tears away.

"Don't be sorry." Luanne said as several tears fell from her eyes. She slid up to meet Jennifer face to face. "I love you."

Jennifer felt a lump form in her throat. "I… love you too." Luanne smiled warmly and kissed Jennifer softly. "Now, it's your turn."

"You don't have to if you're not ready." Luanne said.

"I'm ready." Jennifer said as she gently rolled over on top of Luanne. "I can feel how wet you are." Jennifer said, her thigh nestled in between Luanne's legs.

"I've never been so turned on before." Luanne said breathlessly.

"Let's see if I can top that." Jennifer said before reaching between Luanne's legs and brushing her clit with the tip of her middle finger. Luanne gasped loudly and arched her back. "Good?"

"Oh… yeah." Luanne said. Jennifer repeated her actions again. Again, Luanne gasped loudly and arched her back. "You're… pretty good… for a rookie."

"I had a pretty good teacher. Wanna see what else I learned?" Jennifer purred. Luanne nodded quickly.

Jennifer began snaking her way down Luanne's torso stopping to nibble and nip at Luanne's breasts. She then continued, slowly kissing a path down Luanne's midline, stopping just above her center. She shot a quick glance up towards Luanne who had her eyes closed in anticipation. Not wanting to disappoint, Jennifer started low and slowly dragged her tongue the length of Luanne's opening, ending at her clit.

"Sweet Jesus!" Luanne exclaimed. "You… are good!" Jennifer simply chuckled a sexy chuckle and did it again. "Oh my god if you keep doing that you're gonna make me come!" Luanne breathlessly exclaimed.

"Is that right?" Jennifer cooed. She responded by repeating the slow, wet lick several more times, making Luanne cry out a little louder each time.

"Oh my GOD BABY YES!" Luanne's cry after one particularly good lick lit a fire inside Jennifer that led her to Luanne's endgame. Jennifer, hit by a wave of adrenaline mixed with lust began flicking her tongue on Luanne's clit in rapid fire fashion, stunning her at first and then igniting the fire inside her that would not burn out until she had achieved her ultimate end.

Luanne's breathing became labored an shallow, her back arched off the bed, her nipples pointing toward the ceiling in arousal as the "rookie" was taking her to school, giving Luanne the most thrilling sexual ride of her life. Jennifer's head bobbed furiously between Luanne's legs as she worked to bring Luanne to orgasm. Just seconds after shouting, "OH GOD JENN! SHIT!", Luanne's body shook and shuddered in its earth-shattering release.

Several moments passed before Luanne was capable of any type of coherent speech. When she finally was, she questioned Jennifer's claim of being a first-time lesbian.

"Who the hell are you?" Luanne breathlessly and playfully panted. "A first-timer DOES NOT make a woman come like that!"

"Daddy always said I was a quick learner." Jennifer playfully replied.

"I can't wait to see… what you can do when you ACTUALLY know what you're doing!" Luanne panted.

"Hopefully, you'll find out in a few minutes." Jennifer cooed.

"I haven't pulled an all-nighter since college." Luanne said. "And I haven't studied all night since college either." Luanne deadpanned causing Jennifer to crack up laughing.

"Well, get ready. Cause it looks like school's back in session for the both of us." Jennifer said.

"That's right. Because I'm about to teach the hell out of you." Luanne said. "Right after I tell you again that I love you."

Jennifer smiled that warm smile yet again. "I love you too. Now let's warm some of that pizza up. We're gonna need our strength."

"You got it… Rookie." Luanne said with a smirk. Jennifer chuckled and tossed a pillow into Luanne's face before pulling her up off the bed to go get their halftime meal.

* * *

**Two chapters inside of twenty-four hours. Feels like old times. Can I make it three? Maybe. Guess you'll have to check back to find out! PLEASE REVIEW.**


	11. Cry Me a River

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: For those of you who are fans of my stories and have read my London and Maddie sequel, Search for Tomorrow, you are going to ask yourself as you read part of this chapter, "Wait a minute! Haven't I read some of this somewhere before?" Well, you have. Part of this chapter is lifted directly from chapter five of that story. Since the timelines of the two stories parallel at this point in time, I thought this important little nugget of a scene from the other story could be included in this one as well. You'll see me do this again later on in this story so get used to it! ENJOY!**

**By the way, a couple of new characters…**

**Christian Scott – Julian McMahon (Christian Troy from Nip/Tuck. I named my character before I thought about the actor portraying him.)**

**Jessica "Jess" Scott – Joanna Levesque (pop singer JoJo) **

**Okay, here's the thing… I age progressed all the main characters in this story but I chose to keep JoJo at her natural age. She just looks to me like she could be Ariel and Christian's child, so please suspend your disbelief for me. In this story, she's 12 years younger than Miley and Lilly.**

**

* * *

**

**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 11**

**Cry Me a River**

**Friday, April 13, 2018 – 4:27 am - Lilly and Miley's house, Belle Meade, Tennessee**

There was a deafening silence that lay over Lilly and Miley's house. It was just before 4:30 in the morning on the early spring morning. They had decided that after two months of pushing themselves to the limit, they would take a richly deserved day off. The plan was to wake up around 11 and do absolutely nothing but become human vegetables, sit in front of the television in their media room and watch movies all day.

But as the Robert Burns' poem, _To A Mouse_, says, "the best laid schemes of mice and men, go often askew." On this early April morning, Miley and Lilly's plans for a rest day went as far askew as they possibly could. And it all started with one middle-of-the-night phone call.

The cordless phone on Miley's side of the bed came to life, its computer generated warble of a ringer sending uncomfortable vibrations into their ears.

"You've got to be kidding me." Miley grumbled with her face buried in the pillow.

"Don't answer it." Lilly said lightly, still half asleep.

"It's… four-thirty in the morning. It must be important." Miley growled again. She fumbled in the dark, slapping at the phone with her left hand and hitting the corner of the nightstand. "Oww! Shit." She finally found the phone and picked it up on the fifth ring, one ring before it went to voice mail. "Hello."

"_Miley, it's Raven. There's an emergency. London and Maddie are in trouble and they need our help."_

Miley shot straight up in the bed and turned the lamp on beside her. "London and Maddie? What's wrong?" The urgency in Miley's voice caused Lilly to sit straight up beside her in bed. Miley reached over and put the phone on speaker.

"_Look, I really can't explain right now. They're not hurt but they really need us. We're on a charter plane on our way to Nashville now. Pack an overnight bag. We'll pick you up at your house. We've got the address. I'm sorry, I gotta go. Chels and I will see you around seven."_

"We'll be ready." Miley said.

"Be safe!" Lilly said.

"_We will. Bye." _Raven said before hanging up.

"Oh my god, Miles! What's going on?" Lilly said with genuine concern laced with fear in her voice.

"I don't know, Lil. But we've got to get ready. They'll be here at seven." Miley said with worry thick in her voice.

Lilly and Miley sprung into action. Miley grabbed two overnight bags and began packing for herself and Lilly as Lilly went to hop in the shower. When Lilly finished in the bathroom, Miley went to clean up. They dressed and straightened their room up before heading downstairs around 6:15 to wait.

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to fix something?" Miley asked.

"No. I'm too nervous to eat. I'm worried." Lilly said.

"Sweet niblets, I know you're worried if you're not eating. Come here." Miley stepped forward and embraced Lilly who was sitting on the stool in the kitchen. "Look, we have to try to put something in our stomachs. God knows where we're gonna be and for how long."

"I feel like we should be doing something." Lilly said.

Miley thought for a second. "Here. Gimme your hands." Lilly placed her hands in Miley's just before Miley closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Lord, I realize that we don't pray to you often, and we wouldn't blame you turned a deaf ear to our prayer. But our friends are in need. Mamaw always says that we should be specific in our prayers. So Lord, please bless Maddie Fitzpatrick and London Tipton today. Whatever situation it is that their going through, please deliver them through it Lord. They are our friends that we love dearly and we don't want to see anything bad happen to them. Bless Raven and Chelsea to help them all they can until we see them, then Lord, let us do all we can for them. In your name we pray… amen."

"Amen." Lilly said. "Thank you babe. That made me feel better."

"Prayin' always does." Miley said. "Now, I'm gonna fix us a bagel and some juice."

Miley and Lilly spent the next forty-five minutes eating and talking. At precisely seven o'clock, the intercom chime for the main gate sounded in the kitchen. Lilly got up and went over to the panel to open the line.

"Hello?" Lilly said.

"_Lilly, it's us open up!"_ Raven said. A moment later, Lilly hit the button for the gate allowing it to slowly open for them to drive through.

Lilly and Miley scooped up their bags and headed for the front door. After making sure they had everything, they opened the front door just as Raven and Chelsea walked up.

"Hey sweetie." Raven said rather solemnly as she stepped forward to embrace Miley.

"Hey Rae." Miley returned the greeting.

"Hi Chelsea." Lilly said as she hugged her. Chelsea said her hello before switching over to embrace Miley.

"Sorry to wake you guys up. We didn't know what else to do." Chelsea said.

"It's okay." Lilly said. "We're always here for you guys."

"Come on. We better get going." Raven said as she and Chelsea took Miley and Lilly's overnight bags to load into the rented minivan.

"You didn't tell me on the phone… what's going on?" Miley asked.

"We'll explain it to you in the van." Chelsea said. Miley looked at Lilly, her concern building by the second.

As they reached the van, Lilly had another question for them. "Where are they right now?"

"Well…" Raven said. She then slid the van door open revealing the two mystery guests. "They're right here."

Lilly and Miley's hearts began pounding as they were shocked to see two of their best friends beaming from ear-to-ear as they lunged forward. "Whose up for a wedding today?" London bellowed as she and Maddie thrust their diamond-laden hands forward for the Tennesseans to see.

"Ohmigod! Ohmigod! Ohmigod!" Lilly exclaimed.

Miley shook her head from sided to side, her mouth wide open enough to catch flies. She looked at the look of relief and joy on Lilly's face. She then scanned the faces of the four women that had duped them.

"I am gonna kill the four of you for worrying us like that!" Miley exclaimed. She then paused. "But after I hug you! Congratulations!" Miley lit up like a Christmas tree as she and Lilly exchanged hugs, kisses and tears with the other four women.

After finishing the exchange of hugs and kisses, Lilly spotted Raven and Chelsea's children sitting in the back of the van.

"Tonya! Richie!" Lilly exclaimed as she waved to the children. Recognizing their Aunt Lilly, the two cuties enthusiastically waved back. Lilly then turned to Miley, giving her a look of complete relief, as if the world had just been removed from her shoulders. "OHHH!" Lilly grunted as she threw her arms around Miley. "I was so scared!"

"Me too!" Miley said as she hugged her wife. "I guess our prayers were answered."

"Yeah. Thank you Lord." Lilly said as she looked toward Heaven. Miley smiled and repeated the thanks Lilly had just given.

"Pile in. We've got to pick my mother up at the hotel and then it's off to get married!" London said.

"Where are we going anyway?" Chelsea inquired.

"Yeah! You never told ME where we're going! And I'm your bride-to-be!" Maddie said.

"We're gonna hit the beach. We're headed… to Miami!" London announced.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you!" Raven exclaimed.

"Mmmm. Lilly in a bikini? Mama like!" Miley purred.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lilly exclaimed.

Raven cranked up the car but not before pulling out a forty-year old classic – the Miami song from The Golden Girls. "I have to say what I feel, Miami has so much appeal, A great place to get a seafood meal… Hit it Chels!"

Chelsea took it home. MIAMI… Miami, Miami you've got style. Blue skies, sunshine, white sand by the mile.

Raven: When you live in this town, each day is sublime.

Chelsea: The coldest of winters, are warm and divine

Everybody: MIAMI, you've got style!

* * *

**Monday, April 16, 2018 – 7:30 pm - Lilly and Miley's house, Belle Meade, Tennessee**

Lilly and Miley just came back from the airport after spending the weekend in Miami for London and Maddie's wedding. To say that they were exhausted was the understatement of the year. That Friday off that they were planning was going to be pushed back to the next day if it was the last thing they were going to do.

"UHHH! I am so tired!" Lilly said as she dropped her bags at the front door and ran over to the couch, leaping up into the air and coming down with a thud. "I'm not moving from this spot for exactly 24 hours."

"Uhh, Lil? The TV's downstairs and the bathroom is… over there." Miley said.

"Nobody said this was a well thought out plan!" Lilly said.

"I had so much fun! I'm so happy for them." Miley said.

"I know. They make an awesome couple." Lilly smiled.

"So do we." Miley beamed.

"Yeah, except when people are hitting intercoms, broadcasting our lovemaking all over the house!" Lilly said.

"I still say you don't put an intercom that close to the damn bed!" Miley exclaimed.

"Whatever. They heard us. Big deal." Lilly said flatly. "It would have really been embarrassing if they had seen us."

"Well, at least we're in great shape." Miley said. "Who knows? It probably would have turned them on seeing us."

"Are you a closet exhibitionist?" Lilly asked.

"No. I'm just saying that seeing two hotties getting it on would have flipped their switch. I know it would have done it for me." Miley said.

"So if you had your choice and could sleep with one of our friends, who would it be?" Lilly asked.

"Come on Lil!" Miley said.

"No, I'm serious!" Lilly said. "Just between you and me. Say you get one free pass and it would be all right with me and their partner. Who would it be?"

"You're really gonna make me do this, huh?" Miley said. She then paused for a minute in thought. "All right… Chelsea."

"Why?" Lilly asked.

"Why? Because… she has sexy hair… the kind that you can pull." Miley said.

"Okay. I can see that." Lilly said nodding.

"Well what about you? Who would you choose with your free pass?" Miley inquired.

"Oh, that's easy." Lilly said. "In order, for me it goes Raven, then Maddie, then London, then Chelsea."

"Okay, I'm gonna humor you. Why Raven first?" Miley asked flatly.

"Have ya seen the body? I mean damn! It would take me an hour just to take it all in and another two to do all the things I'd wanna do!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Okay, you've put a little too much thought into this." Miley said. Lilly never responded. She just continued her rundown.

"And then Maddie… I've always been intrigued by the whole blonde-on-blonde thing." Lilly reasoned. "And then London with the thighs, I mean WOW!"

"Uhh-huh." Miley said flatly again, choosing to let Lilly burn herself out.

"And with Chelsea, well, she just has one of those bodies that you just draw breath between your teeth and go OOH!" Lilly said. "Yeah, that's how I'd run it down."

"Well what about me?" Miley asked with a loaded look on her face.

"You are just sexy period. I mean that think-about-the-things-she-does-to-you-and-get-soaking-wet sexy." Lilly said. "And you've got that seductively raspy, ice cube melting, panty disintegrating, could-make-you-come-just-by-talking-to-you voice."

"You think my voice is that sexy?" Miley asked.

"Remember the first night we spent together?" Lilly asked.

"Of course." Miley said.

"You asked me to do you a favor. You said, 'Don't be gentle.' GOD! I swear I thought I was gonna lose it right there!" Lilly recalled.

Miley walked over to Lilly and squatted down in front of her, leaning close. "What would you do if I asked you to take me downstairs to the media room and… not be gentle with me?" Miley said in such a way that her words practically dripped off of her tongue.

"I'd wonder what we're still doing sitting here. Let's go." Lilly said as she leaned forward to kiss Miley, setting off yet another round of their passionate brand of lovemaking.

* * *

**Friday, August 31, 2018 – Lilly's new charter school – the Green Hills section of Nashville**

Lilly, Miley and Ariel stood in the main lobby of Lilly's new charter school, taking in the surroundings. It was four days beforethe first day of classes for the 150 students that were enrolled. The newly-christened Green Hills Academy would be the home of 150 kindergarten through sixth graders. To ensure the proper teacher to student ratio, Lilly hired 10 full-time staff members and had a list of six substitutes.

Lilly had tears in her eyes as she looked at the renovated school building.

"When I left Bay Laurel, I never thought in a million years that I would see this." Lilly said choking back her tears. Miley and Ariel were near tears themselves as they watched Lilly's reaction. "The last few years, all I've wanted to do is teach. Now… I'll get to do it my way."

"I'm so proud of you, Lil." Miley eked out as she wiped away her tears. "This place looks beautiful."

"I am gonna love teaching here." Ariel said.

"Are you gonna love being Vice Principal too?" Lilly said.

"Say what?" Ariel exclaimed.

"School starts Monday and I still don't have an administrative staff. I know we're all gonna pitch in to do the job but there's no one else I can think of that would be better." Lilly said.

"Vice Principal? Me?" Ariel asked incredulously.

"Vice Principal Ariel Evangeline Scott." Lilly said, remembering her middle name from her application.

Ariel dropped her head and started weeping. "You've got to stop making me cry." She eked out as Miley smiled and put her arm around the diminutive blonde.

"She has that effect on people, touching their hearts and all." Miley said.

"I learned from the best." Lilly said as she smiled at her wife. "Okay! Enough of this sappy fluffiness. Let's go grab a little dinner and get some rest this weekend. We've got a long semester ahead of us."

* * *

**Friday, September 21, 2018 – 7:15 pm - Lilly and Miley's house**

They were less than a month away from attending London's big cancer benefit in Boston but on this night, Miley and Lilly had a party of their own to host. It was their first big dinner party in their new home. They invited family and friends. They were expecting Robby Ray and Kylie, Luanne and Jennifer, who was making monthly trips to Tennessee and was seriously considering moving to the East Coast to be closer to Luanne, Jackson and Tamera and Ariel along with her husband Christian and their daughter Jess.

"Is everything set?" Lilly asked.

"Yes. Can you sit the tray of hors d'oeuvres on the counter? They're on the bottom shelf of the fridge." Miley said.

"Sure." Lilly jogged into the kitchen, her heels clicking on the marble floor. Seconds later she came back into the dining room. "This is gonna be so cool!"

"I know. I wish the Divas could be here." Miley lamented.

"Yeah. But London has her hands full with that benefit and Raven and Chelsea wanted to spend some time with their kids." Lilly said.

"That's all right because the bunch we have coming is gonna keep us busy enough." Miley said.

"I saw a picture of Ariel's husband on her desk… DAMN, DAMN and DAMN!" Lilly exclaimed.

"He looks that good?" Miley asked.

"Remember that show Nip/Tuck?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah." Miley said.

"He looks just like the real sexy one on there with the dark hair, Christian! And HIS name is Christian!" Lilly exclaimed again.

"You're not gonna leave me for him are you?" Miley asked playfully.

"Let him make a pass at me. I'll drop your butt like a hot potato!" Lilly joked.

"Oh yeah?" Miley said as she closed the distance on Lilly. "Can he do this?" Miley then began nibbling on Lilly's earlobe.

"AAAAGGHHHH! I… don't know. But I'll… check when he gets here." Lilly said as Miley hit her spot. Just then the door bell rang as Miley pulled back and swatted at Lilly chuckling.

"You are sick!" Miley joked as she went to answer the door. When she opened it, she faced a smiling Luanne and Jennifer. "Heyyyyyyy!" Miley said as she opened her arms to embrace her cousin. "You are a good-lookin' woman, you know that?" She joked to her look-alike. Luanne had let her hair grow out a little more and more closely resembled Miley.

"You're kind of a looker yourself." Luanne said smiling.

"Hey Loser!" Jennifer joked as she hugged Miley.

"How ya doin', Pop-Tart?" Miley shot back.

"She's just like the filling in a Pop-Tart, hot, sweet and oh so tasty." Luanne purred.

"Wow! And I thought we were bad!" Lilly said. "Hey you!" She said as she hugged Jennifer. She then released the hug and stepped forward to Luanne. Their relationship had vastly improved since Miley and Lilly had moved to Tennessee. "Hey LuLu!" Lilly said as she embraced Luanne.

"Evening, Skater Girl." Luanne said with a smile. "You treating my cousin right?"

"Look at the smile on her face and you tell me." Lilly said.

"Hello? You know you left the gate open for any ol' Daddy to come wanderin' in." Robby Ray said.

"Hey Daddy!" Miley jogged up to her father and threw her arms around his neck. She broke that embrace and stepped over to Kylie to hug her. "Hey Kylie!"

"How are ya, Miley?" Kylie asked.

"Fine!" Miley responded. Seconds later, Jackson and Tamera stepped inside.

"Hope you got one of those for us!" Jackson said as everyone greeted each other.

"You bet! Hey Brother!" Miley said as she hugged Jackson. She then stepped over to Tamera. "Hey Sis!"

"Now didn't I tell you to knock that off! She's not your sister-in-law… yet anyway." Jackson said, his last two words trailing off.

"I heard that!" Miley said.

Tamera leaned over to whisper to Miley. "I heard that too." She said with a smile.

"Well, we're just waiting on three more…" Lilly said above the talking.

"You mean us?" Lilly looked to the front door to see Ariel and her family standing just inside the door.

"Hey! You made it!" Lilly said as she stepped forward to hug Ariel.

"I thought we had the wrong address at first! My god Woman! This place is huge!" Ariel said.

"Wait'll you see the closets! EEP!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Well, let me introduce you to my family!" Ariel said. "This is my husband Christian…"

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Christian said as she took Lilly's hand and kissed it. "Ariel talks about you all the time."

"I can say the same about you." Lilly said with a broad smile.

"And this… is our daughter Jess." Ariel said.

"Jess, it's so nice to meet you! You are a very beautiful young woman." Lilly said.

"Thank you. And thanks so much for the autograph. I was so excited when Mom told me she was working with you. I think it sucks what they did to you out there." Jess said.

"Well I appreciate that. But if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have met your mom. She's a great teacher from what I've seen so far." Lilly said.

"You know, Jess actually dyed her hair pink once just like Lola's wig." Christian said chuckling.

"Dad! I was like eight!" Jess exclaimed. "I didn't realize she wore a wig!"

"Don't sweat it. I used to put all sorts of colorful streaks through my hair. How long did you keep it for?" Lilly asked.

"Mom made me keep it in for the whole day as punishment. But she wouldn't stop laughing at me. I think that was worse." Jess said. Lilly, Ariel and Christian laughed.

"Well, let me introduce y'all to everybody else so we can mingle and eat!" Lilly said.

Lilly concluded the introductions and everyone went into the living room for appetizers and before dinner conversation. After about thirty minutes, they all went into the dining room for dinner. Conversation went back and forth for about twenty-five minutes and everyone was getting along well.

"So Christian, what do you do for a living?" Robby Ray asked.

"I'm a corporate attorney; acquisitions and mergers." Christian said. "It pays the bills so I'm all right with it. I gotta tell you, I'm a big fan of yours. I think I have all of your albums."

"Well that's nice of you to say." Robby Ray replied.

"I was even at that concert you did in Dallas back in '88…" Robby Ray started laughing at the remembrance. "With the streaker…" Christian started laughing as well.

"Daddy, you never told me about that one!" Miley said.

"Well honey…" Robby Ray paused to laugh again. "I was on stage, singin' my guts out, I mean it was the best performance of the tour… when all of a sudden, this girl hopped up on stage from the front row, yanked her t-shirt and shorts off and started runnin' back and forth across the stage! I swear, it was the funniest dang thing I'd ever seen!"

Everyone started laughing. "That's hilarious!" Lilly exclaimed.

"You know what made it even funnier for me was, the girl… was my ex-girlfriend!" Christian said. The whole table exploded in laughter.

"Didn't you try to get that girl's number after the show?" Kylie asked playfully causing everyone to laugh again.

"Nobody asked you!" Robby Ray joked as he bear hugged Kylie at the table and tickled her ribs causing her to howl.

"You two are too cute!" Ariel said.

"Aren't they?" Miley said. "They need to just go ahead and tie the knot and stop playin' around!"

"You know darlin'?" Robby Ray said. "That's a good idea." Robby Ray then stood up and pulled his chair back away from the table, reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out a five-carat Princess-cut diamond ring. He then dropped to one knee. Gasps could be heard all around the table. "Kylie, I shoulda done this a long time ago, but I was hurt and scared. But I'm not hurt or scared anymore. I'm in love… with you and I want to be in love with you forever. Will you marry me?"

Kylie looked down at Robby Ray and smiled with tears streaming down her face. "Well damnit Rob it took you long enough! Yes. I'll marry you."

The whole table applauded and cheered as Robby Ray stood up, picked Kylie up, bear hugged and kissed her. The two started receiving congratulations from all around the table. When Robby Ray got to his son, Jackson stood up and looked at his father in frustration.

"Dang flabbit, Dad!" Jackson exclaimed.

"Son, what's wrong?" Robby Ray asked. Everyone at the table froze, not knowing what to expect.

"You just had to pick tonight to propose to Kylie!" Jackson said. "The one night…" Jackson then reached inside his pants pocket to reveal a four-carat oval-cut diamond ring of his own. He then turned to a shell-shocked Tamera. The gasps and quiet exclamations started again. "The one night I wanted to do the same thing." Jackson then dropped to one knee. "One year ago tomorrow, my life changed for the better. That's the day I met you…" Tamera had tears in her eyes but laughed at Jackson's remembrance of their one year anniversary. "Remember that day? Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland. The first time I laid eyes on you, you were layin' some poor kid out for not setting up some microphones." Everyone chuckled at that recollection. "But I knew as soon as I saw you that you were special. And the more I've gotten to know you…" Jackson now had tears in his eyes. "The more I realize that I don't want to live the rest of my life without you." Tamera was now in silent sob mode as tears streamed down her face. Her eyes flashed back and forth between Jackson's eyes and the ring that was shaking in his hand. "Tamera Jenae Carson, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

With big brown eyes that were full of love and acceptance, Tamera nodded her head quickly as she started to break down. "Yes. Yes I'll marry you!" She exclaimed softly. The table erupted in cheers as Jackson engulfed Tamera in a tearful embrace.

"See Son, I told ya dual proposals would work!" Robby Ray said smiling.

"You! You two planned this?" Kylie exclaimed as she playfully hit Robby Ray.

"Jackson and I have always made a good team!" Robby Ray proclaimed. "Congratulations, Son." Robby Ray said as Jackson turned and gave his father a strong tearful hug.

"You too Dad." Jackson said through his tears.

Tamera stood and walked over to Kylie who stood. "Well, I guess you're gonna be my stepmother-in-law! Congratulations!" Tamera embraced Kylie.

"You two are gonna be great together." Kylie said as she embraced Tamera.

"I get a stepmother and a sister-in-law at the same time! Am I lucky or what?" Miley said.

"Now THIS is a party!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Everybody! Everybody!" Miley said as she clinked her water glass with her knife. "Raise your glasses! Let's toast BOTH new engagements! Daddy, Kylie, Jackson, Tammy, I know that I speak for everyone at this table when I say that we are in shock that both of Daddy and Jackson proposed tonight but we are not in shock as to why. I don't know of two couples that deserve a lifetime of happiness more than the two of you. May God Bless all of you. We love you guys. TO THE STEWARTS!"

"THE STEWARTS!"

* * *

**No one is spared the walk down the aisle in my stories! But seriously, Jackson and Robby Ray deserve just as much happiness as Miley and Lilly, and now they have it. There's more to come. Chapter 12 is next! PLEASE REVIEW.**


	12. The Real American Idol

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: It's been far too long. That's all I'll say. It's been far too long. What you ask? Just read.**

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 12**

**The Real American Idol**

**Monday, January 14, 2019 – 7:15 pm - Raven and Chelsea's house – Montauk, Long Island, New York**

Raven had just walked in to the second home that she and Chelsea shared. They also owned an apartment in downtown Manhattan. The smell of dinner cooking wafted through the house. Chelsea had arrived home at 5 o'clock after picking Tonya and Richie up from daycare and was nearing the end of her dinner preparations.

"CHELS?" Raven called out from the foyer as she sat her work bag down.

"_I'M IN THE KITCHEN!" _Chelsea called out to her.

Raven walked into the kitchen where Chelsea was at the sink rinsing off a head of lettuce for the salad she was making.

"Hey babe." Raven said as she walked up behind Chelsea who looked over her shoulder and gave Raven a peck on the lips.

"Hey! How was work?" Chelsea asked.

"I don't know. I had a meeting today with reps from DevynShelby about collaboration and I don't know how I feel about it." Raven said of the company named after the designer Devyn Shelby.

"What's wrong with that? You love her designs." Chelsea said as she finished rinsing the lettuce before picking up a knife and starting to chop it.

"Yeah, but it's not the designs I'm worried about, it's the person. I heard she's a real bitch." Raven said.

"I wouldn't worry. You get along with everyone. Just make sure that your company takes the lead on anything business related and you'll have the control." Chelsea said.

"You sure you don't want to come and be our legal counsel?" Raven said as she hugged Chelsea's around the waist.

"I don't think so. There would be complications. See I'd want to sleep with the boss." Chelsea purred.

Raven's eyes took a familiar gaze as Chelsea's words registered. "I… don't think the boss would have a problem with that." She said as Chelsea turned her head for a second, slightly more intense kiss. Moments into the kiss, the phone rang in the kitchen. Raven broke the kiss reluctantly. "I'll get it." She walked over to the phone and answered on the second ring. "Hello."

"_Rae, it's Lilly."_

"Hey Lil! What's up girl? How's your better half?"

"_Good. Look, don't ask me any questions, just watch American Idol tonight."_

"American Idol?" Raven asked incredulously. "I haven't watched that in years!"

"_Trust me. You'll want to watch it tonight… Oh! I gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow."_

"Okay, girl. Later." Raven said as the other end of the line hung up quickly.

"What was that about American Idol?" Chelsea asked.

"She wants us to watch American Idol tonight. She said we'll want to watch it." Raven said.

"I wonder what that's all about." Chelsea said.

"I don't know but it comes on at nine." Raven said. "Now where are my jitterbugs?"

"In Tonya's room playing. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes." Chelsea said with a smile before Raven gave her another peck and headed out of the kitchen in search of her children.

* * *

**Monday, January 14, 2019 – 7:24 pm – London's car – Westbound Massachusetts Turnpike near Auburndale, Massachusetts**

London and Maddie were on their way home after a long day on the job. The Celtics were in the midst of a four game losing streak that had their general manager contemplating firing the head coach. Also, there were delays in a crucial part of the Tipton Hotel's renovation that had London frustrated. The first time she had relaxed all day was when she picked Maddie up at her office for the car ride home.

"Thank God traffic isn't bad today." London said as she drove.

"People probably called in sick today after the Patriots lost their playoff game yesterday." Maddie said.

"Well, Tom Brady can't play forever." London said of the recently-retired, soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback. "I'm just glad I'm with you, on the way home."

"I say a long hot bath and a good book would do wonders." Maddie said.

"You hungry?" London asked.

"Starving. How does Chinese sound?" Maddie asked.

"Sounds great…" London started when her integrated car phone rang. "Oh! It's Lilly!" London hit the talk button. "Hey Lilly! What's going on?"

"_Hey London. I've only got a minute. Is Maddie with you?"_

"Hey Lilly! I'm right here."

"_Hey Maddie. Are y'all gonna be home tonight?"_

"We're on our way home now. What's up?" London asked.

"_Be sure you watch American Idol tonight. It's really important."_

"What's on American Idol tonight?" Maddie asked.

"_I'm sorry, I gotta go. Look, watch tonight and I'll call you tomorrow."_

"Okay, be safe." London said.

"_You too." _With that, Lilly hung up the phone.

"Is it just me or does something smell a little fishy." Maddie asked.

"Normally, I'd say it was your legal paranoia talking but that was a little odd." London said. "Let's just watch the show tonight and see what the big deal is. Now call our food in. We can pick it up before we go home."

* * *

**Monday, January 14, 2019 – 7:45 pm Pacific standard time – Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, California**

The seventeenth season premiere of American Idol was going off without a hitch. The judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Tamyra Gray, who replaced Paula Abdul at the beginning of the 2013 season, were in rare form as was the new king of all media, host Ryan Seacrest. They were forty-five minutes into the show when Ryan Seacrest came back from a commercial to introduce the next segment of the show.

"And we are back here on the season premiere of American Idol, the longest running reality series in television history!" Ryan said. "Back when American Idol started in 2002…" Ryan cut his monologue short when the lights inside the Orpheum Theatre flickered. "I'm sorry; we seem to be experiencing some lighting… problems…" He stopped again as the lights flickered again, went completely out, then came back on again. "Okay. Maybe we need to go… no, my director is saying that everything is fine now…" Again the lights flickered and went out inside the theater but this time, the video screen that was on stage had a vaguely familiar image flash onto the screen briefly. It looked to be a logo that was gone as quickly as it appeared. Then flashes of black and white and color images mixed in with snowy pictures you would see on a bad television quickly flashed on the screen as a slurred mixture of spoken words and music played. The few people inside the Orpheum Theatre that could make out the quickly flashing images started cheering as they had a feeling what was in store for them.

Near the end of the video montage, the camera switched to a stationary shot of the front of the theater. Out of the left side of the frame, a long black limousine appeared and stopped in front of the building. Those that got the reference exploded in cheers. The screen faded to black, then letters in stylized yellow and purple faded onto the screen that made those same fans that had exploded moments earlier, go into a full-blown frenzy…

**THE LIMO… IS BACK OUT FRONT.**

That sentence faded to black and a two word phrase that has been used thousands of times before nearly lifted the roof off the building…

**SHE'S BAAAAAAACK!**

The camera then cut to a scene backstage. The vantage point was from behind a large vanity mirror where the face of the person seated was obscured by the mirror. Standing on the left side of the person was a recognizable figure talking to that person as they looked at themselves in the mirror.

"Darlin', are you sure you want to do this? I mean, it's been ten years!" The man with the black fedora, leather jacket and bushy mustache asked.

The camera panned to the other person. And if there was any doubt as to the identity of the mystery person, all of that doubt was erased when the camera revealed a colorful young woman in her early twenties in a bright red wig with a chin-length bob cut and an outfit in which no article of clothing really matched but yet somehow managed to be stylish.

"Yeah, I mean, do you know how hard it was for me to find an outfit like this? The woman in the store looked at me like I was crazy!" The woman exclaimed.

"Daddy, Lola, relax." The as-of-yet unidentified woman said. "It's like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget."

Back in Wellesley, Massachusetts and Montauk, Long Island, four mouths dropped open in shock at what was unfolding on their televisions. They had no idea this was coming.

Back in Los Angeles, the opening notes of a twelve-year old pop song rang out in the theater that the people in the dressing room heard as well.

"Oh! That's my cue!" The woman stood up and the theater exploded again as for the first time in ten years, the world laid eyes on Hannah Montana. "Wish me luck guys!"

Mister Montana and Lola Lufnagle smiled at each other before looking at Hannah. "LUCK!" They exclaimed as Hannah ran out of the dressing room.

A thunderous ovation met Hannah as she ran onto the stage looking as only a twenty-nine year old Hannah Montana could look. Miley decided to sex up her Hannah look, going with a raspberry-sequined babydoll dress that hit her at mid-thigh to go with her long blonde Hannah wig that was flipped on the end and her signature white Hannah boots that had been sexed up by having three and a half inch spiked heels.

"LOS ANGELES, HOW YA DOIN' TONIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!" Hannah said as the theater erupted. "IT'S BEEN WAY TOO LONG, BUT I HAD TO COME BACK AND SHOW YOU THE LOVE THAT Y'ALL ALWAYS SHOWED ME! SO I JUST WANTED TO COME BACK AND TELL YOU…"

She then launched into her song…

Sometimes I walk a little faster  
In the school hallway  
Just to get next to you  
Some days I spend a little extra  
Time in the morning  
Just to impress you

Guess you don't notice  
Guess you don't need to  
Sad you're not seein'  
what you're missin'  
On the outside shyin' away  
On the inside dyin' to say

Chorus:  
I'm unusual  
Not so typical  
Way too smart to be waiting around  
Tai chi practicin'  
Snowboard champion  
I could fix the flat on your car

"COME ON LA, SING!"

I might even be a rockstar  
I might even be a rockstar

Hannah Montana owned American Idol on that night. The Queen of Pop had returned with a vengeance. No one inside the theater and no one watching at home knew how long she would stick around, but they knew on this night the woman that was voted the pop star most wanted to make a comeback by Rolling Stone magazine in 2017 was back and better than ever.

As they looked on backstage, Lilly and Robby Ray high-fived each other.

"Welcome back, Lola!" Robby Ray exclaimed.

"Welcome back, Mister Montana!" Lilly exclaimed.

"This is amazing!" Luanne exclaimed as she and Jennifer stood several paces behind Robby Ray and Lilly.

"I knew Hannah Montana would get all her fannas back!" Jennifer shouted.

"That's my sister-in-law out there!" Tammy beamed.

"She's amazing, ain't she?" Jackson offered with pride.

"I just hope he takes that mustache off before he comes to bed tonight!" Kylie exclaimed.

"Rockin' it wherever we are, yeah yeah… Cuz I really am a rock star! Cuz I really am a rock star!" Miley belted out her most powerful Hannah performance ever.

When she finished, the audience in the theater, as well as Simon, Randy and Tamyra, gave her a standing ovation that she giddily soaked in.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… HANNAH MONTANA!" Ryan Seacrest announced again as the standing ovation continued. "WE'LL BE BACK!" The show went to commercial and Hannah came off the stage to be mobbed by her family.

"You are THE most amazing woman ever!" Lilly screamed as she bear hugged her wife.

"THAT was a rush! It felt good! Felt like old times." Miley breathlessly said. "Come on y'all! Let's go back to my dressing room."

"I might even be a rockstar!" Lilly spritefully sang as the group went back to the dressing room.

Over the next hour, Miley, Lilly and Robby Ray's cell phones blew up as they received call after call congratulating them on Hannah's appearance. From Raven and Chelsea, London and Maddie, Renee, Ariel and her daughter Jess, to Oliver and his fiancée Grace and Robby Ray's best friend Tyler and all of his former label mates from Opryland Records.

Several executives from 19 Entertainment, the parent company that produces American Idol, came by the dressing room indicating that they had received several calls inquiring about Hannah's availability. Both Robby Ray and Jackson received calls from producers on the morning and late night talk show circuits asking for appearances from Miley/Hannah. "She" was indeed back.

"Lilly, if you want off this roller coaster, just tell me now and I'll make all this go away." Miley said to her wife.

"Are you kidding me? This is what you are! This is what you've always dreamed of. Dreams come true and I intend to be right here to share them with you. Maybe I won't be able to go everywhere with you with the school and all, but I am always right here." Lilly said as she pointed to Miley's heart. "You know what, babe?"

"What's that?"

"You might even be a rock star." Lilly whispered as if Miley's secret were still in the bag. Miley smiled and hugged Lilly rocking her to the delight of everyone in the room.

* * *

**FINALLY… HANNAH… HAS COME BACK… HOME! At exactly what point did you realize that Hannah was back? That was fun! Where do I go from here? I don't know. I'm gonna go figure that out while you review this chapter. I will be back though with chapter 13. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	13. The Hands That Rock the Cradle

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: Thank you for coming with me thus far. I have really enjoyed writing this story as well as reading the wonderful reviews that you have submitted. As of today this is my fourth most successful story in terms of reviews behind Requited, The Search for Tomorrow and The Best of Both Worlds.**

**But I wanted to take a second to respond to a couple of questions/points that I received in reviews and PM's. You read my stories with an expectation of being entertained and when you have questions, I feel I have an obligation to answer.**

**One reviewer, alphaMilca, commented that I skipped some weddings. Yes I did. I skipped Robby Ray and Kylie's, Jackson and Tamera's and Oliver and Grace's weddings by skipping ahead to 2019. The reason I did that is because knowing me, I would spend a couple of weeks writing those chapters. I've written weddings for Raven and Chelsea, London and Maddie, C.J. (Cody) and Barbara and Miley and Lilly and trust me when I tell you that it takes a while to write a wedding because every wedding is unique. I research vows, colors, dress styles and locations to give you as authentic a feel as possible. The first wedding I ever wrote, Raven and Chelsea in For Them The Bell Tolls, took over a week to finish. Before the story is over, I may mention or even flashback to one or more of the skipped weddings.**

**My girl, EndlessDreamer 1024, asked in a review if Londie (London and Maddie) attended Miley and Lilly's wedding. They did. For length purposes, I chose not to mention them in the wedding chapter instead opting to highlight Chelsea and Raven's appearance. That was done because in my story For Them The Bells Toll, set 10 years earlier, Miley attended Raven and Chelsea's wedding because the wedding was on the beach right behind Miley's house. They then had their reception in the house itself.**

**And finally, there has been some question as to what the name of the Jennifer-Luanne pairing is called. I am officially putting all conjecture to rest in announcing that the formal name for the pairing is Jennanne. That's J-E-DOUBLE N-A-DOUBLE N-E.**

**Now it's time for one more time warp ahead from January 2019, when Miley appeared as Hannah on American Idol, to late February 2020 and another VERY IMPORTANT time in Lilly and Miley's lives. That moves us closer to the end of this story (BOOOOO!) and closer to two events that will serve as bridges to my next story, the Chrave story, Love Conquers All. I promise that this story will stay Liley-centric, but there will be a little more Raven and Chelsea involved as we grow closer to the end.**

**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 13**

**The Hands That Rock the Cradle**

**Monday, February 24, 2020 – 11 am - The Offices of Pacific Reproductive Services – Pasadena, California**

Miley and Lilly made the decision several months earlier that they were ready to have children. Both women were adamant about being the one to carry their first child. After weeks of going back and forth, which included several spirited discussions that morphed into mini-arguments, they decided to take Oliver's suggestion and flip a coin to determine which one would be the one. They enlisted the aid of Luanne and Jennifer who were staying in the main house for several weeks during the summer. Jennifer flipped the coin and Luanne called it when it hit the floor. Miley called tails. The coin came up heads.

So several months later, Miley and Lilly sat in the waiting room of an insemination office in their old stomping grounds of Southern California. They chose the facility they were in because they wanted to have the right to more extensive information about the biological, cultural and social background of the donor candidates. They also wanted the donor to meet their child once it reaches eighteen years of age.

"Lil, I'm so nervous." Miley said.

"You're nervous?" Lilly asked softly. "I'm the one that's being inseminated today."

"I know. I guess I'm nervous for you." Miley said.

"Don't be nervous. What did Doctor Saiba say during our consultation? She said that the procedure was painless." Lilly said.

"I know. I just hate hospitals." Miley spat. "Ever since my mother…"

"Oh. Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about it like that." Lilly said.

"It's okay." Miley said, visibly shrugging off her bad feelings. "Besides, this isn't a hospital anyway."

"Still… I hate seeing you uncomfortable." Lilly said as she squeezed Miley's hand.

"It will all be worth it if you get pregnant." Miley said.

"**When** I get pregnant." Lilly reassured.

"Lillian Truscott-Stewart?" The nurse said. Lilly raised her hand and stood along with Miley.

"Doctor Saiba will be with you shortly. Come on back." The nurse said, leading them down the hallway to the room where the insemination would be performed.

After waiting there for several minutes, their doctor arrived. "Good Morning Ladies! Are you ready for big day number one?" The British accented doctor asked.

"Yes ma'am. And I have a feeling it will be the only day, Doctor Saiba." Miley said with a smile to the woman whose last name was difficult for many people to pronounce so she simply went by Doctor Saiba.

Nusaiba Venkatasubramanian was a strikingly beautiful woman in her mid forties of southern Indian descent that was born just outside of London. She received her undergraduate degree from Oxford before coming to the United States to complete her doctoral studies at Dartmouth. She was a shade under 5 feet 6 inches tall with coal black hair that went halfway down her back. Contrasting her dark coffee-colored complexion was a pair of striking green-gray eyes that pierced you when you looked at her. And yet, as effectively as they pierced, her eyes carried sympathetic warmth that fit in perfectly with her warm personality.

"Well then, let's get started." Doctor Saiba said. "Now we have gone over the procedure with you. Do either of you have any questions?"

"When can we… resume… relations?" Miley gingerly inquired.

Doctor Saiba smiled. "If you are referring to sexual relations, there is no timetable for that. You can leave the office, go straight back to your hotel and… resume relations." She said.

"Then my questions have been answered." Miley said before squeezing Lilly's hand. "You ready?"

"Ready. Let's do this." Lilly said with a smile.

**Tuesday, March 17, 2020 – 7 pm – Miley and Lilly's house**

"LIL!" Miley called out. "I'M HOME! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"_I'M UPSTAIRS!"_

Miley dropped her bag at the front door and sprinted up the stairs. When she reached the bedroom, Lilly was sitting at their vanity.

"You didn't do anything without me, did you?" Miley asked with worry in her voice.

"No. I waited for you before I peed on the stick." Lilly said with warm flatness in her voice. "I don't know why you wouldn't let me pee 20 minutes before you get home so when you walk in the door, you'd know."

"Because I want to be here for every agonizing moment." Miley said.

"As long as you don't bite your nails." Lilly said. "It took me six years to get you to stop."

"You just like it when I rake your back with my nails." Miley purred.

"I know that's right." Lilly responded saucily.

"Go pee." Miley ordered.

"Go pee. How romantic." Lilly said sarcastically as she stood up with pregnancy test in hand and headed to the bathroom. "Do you want me to leave the door open so you can watch?"

"OOH CAN I?" Miley said with sarcastic glee.

"Nut job, I swear!" Lilly said with exasperation before closing the door. After several moments, Miley heard the flush of the toilet and the running of water in the sink signaling that the deed was done. "Now… we get to wait."

Lilly walked over to the bed and sat down next to Miley and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The clock read 7:08. After two tense, silent minutes, Lilly spoke.

"So… tell me about your day?" Lilly said.

"Well… I cut a couple of promos for the local country station and the local top 40 station, had a phone interview for Ryan Seacrest's radio show and I visited Kylie at Opryland… met her for lunch." Miley said before a one minute pause. "So what did you do today?"

"Well… I taught my class about U.S History… the Presidents… from Washington to Obama." Lilly said before a twenty second pause. "Oh… and I got a letter from Renee's class at Bay Laurel! Remember Little Spencer Anderson? He sent me a picture of himself and his little dog!"

"That's so sweet!" Miley said with enthusiasm before eyeing the clock. The large red digits read 7:12. "Four minutes! Dang flabbit all to hell!"

"Dang flabbit all to hell. That's a new one." Lilly said.

"Well this is a new frustration." Miley said. "Come on 7:28!"

"Look, my mother always says a watched pot never boils so… turn on the TV. Let's see what's on." Lilly said.

Miley picked up the remote and turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. "Jon and Kate Plus 8: Ten Years Later… Delivery Room… Oh! I Love Lucy!" Miley exclaimed as she settled in to watching one of her favorite sitcoms.

"_Ricky..." An obviously pregnant Lucy said. "It's time."_

"_Time for what, honey?" Ricky said._

"_Time for the baby." Lucy said sweetly._

"_Oh. Time for the baby." Ricky said before the meaning fully sank in. "TIME FOR THE BABY!" The Ricardo household then went into full ballistic mode as Ricky, Ethel and Fred panicked, butchering all the carefully orchestrated plans they had made for that moment._

"Of all the episodes TVLand could have played tonight, they had to play that one!" Miley huffed.

"Well, look at it this way… It's 7:19. That knocked seven whole minutes off." Lilly said.

Miley simply grumbled as she continued switching the channels. "The Disney Channel… Look at that, Lil. They have these girls that are obviously older than what they play on screen, looking all hot, on a channel for kids!"

"I think I had a dream about that one the other night!" Lilly said pointing to one of the girls on the screen.

"Lilly! She's what fifteen?" Miley exclaimed.

"Hey, I don't know where Disney finds 'em…" Lilly started.

"I do!" Miley proclaimed. "They go find old singers and younger sisters of child movie stars like… what's his name? The one that said, 'I see dead people.' That one!"

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Lilly exclaimed. "His sister was a real cutie!"

Miley looked at Lilly and shook her head in mock disgust as she continued flipping the channels. "Oh! Here we go! Return to Degrassi! I used to love that show! I wonder what they all look like now!"

"Cool. I can do that." Lilly said as they started watching the movie which was going on thirty minutes old.

After several minutes, Miley looked over at the clock as Lilly continued watching the movie.

"LILLY!" Miley yelled, startling Lilly.

"Holy shit!" Lilly exclaimed. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"I'm sorry, Lil! Look! It's 7:28! It's time!" Miley exclaimed. Lilly looked at Miley then at the open bathroom door.

"What if it's negative?" Lilly asked.

"It's not negative." Miley announced with confidence.

"What if it is?" Lilly asked again.

"If it's negative, we go back to Doctor Saiba and we do it again." Miley said. "And if it's still negative, we go again and again and again until we use up all of our hours on the charter jet's timeshare…" Lilly chuckled. "Then we get the home insemination kit. But we don't do is stop trying."

"But we won't have to worry about that." Lilly said with a little insecurity.

"Right." Miley said.

"Because it's positive." Lilly said.

"Right." Miley countered.

"Go check it." Lilly said.

"Nope. You do the pee, you go and see." Miley said. "Did ya like that rhyme, huh?"

"Yeah. You're a regular Maya Angelou." Lilly said with maximum sarcasm before standing up and walking toward the bathroom. Miley, afraid to move, stayed anchored to the bed.

Lilly walked into the bathroom, picked up the tester, took one look at it and without registering any discernable reaction, walked back out of the bathroom and toward the vanity. With Miley watching her every movement, Lilly picked up her purse and her keys and started walking toward the bedroom door.

"LILLY! Where are you going?" Miley asked.

"I'm just going to run an errand. You can come with me." Lilly said with perfect calm. "I think Baby Town is open for another hour." It was then that Lilly's perfectly calm demeanor began to crack as a broad grin began to leak from her face. When it finally burst through, Miley nearly cracked.

"LILLY?"

"WE'RE HAVING A BABYYYYYYYYYYY!" Lilly screamed at the top of her lungs setting off as delirious a celebration as the two best friends turned lovers turned spouses had ever experienced.

Miley bear hugged Lilly as they began sobbing for joy. "OH MY GOD! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" Miley exclaimed as her tears flowed. Lilly was speechless as she wept. After several moments, they slowly pulled away from each other and looked down at Lilly's stomach at the same time. "Our baby is in there!"

"Our baby is in there." Lilly said with a smile as she wiped away her tears. Miley placed her hand on Lilly's stomach. Lilly instinctively placed her hand on top of Miley's and looked Miley in the eyes. "Our baby."

* * *

**Thursday, March 19, 2020 – 6 pm – Robby Ray and Kylie Stewart's condo – Downtown Nashville**

"Didn't you say you were gonna call the girls when you got home?" Kylie asked her husband.

"Yeah. I did. I haven't talked to them in a few days." Robby Ray said before the door bell rang. "I'll get it, Darlin'." Robby Ray said, placing a kiss on his wife. Robby Ray opened the door to see his daughter and daughter-in-law standing in front of him. "I was just gettin' ready to call you two!"

"No need. We are here!" Miley said as she greeted her father with a hug. Lilly did the same before stepping over the threshold.

"Hey Kyle!" Miley said to her stepmother. Kylie beamed as she stepped forward for a hug.

"And you! Come here Cutie!" Kylie said to Lilly.

"How are you?" Lilly said as she hugged Kylie.

"Tryin' to get your father-in-law to behave himself." Kylie quipped.

"Good luck with that one." Miley said with a chuckle.

"What brings you our way tonight?" Robby Ray said.

"Well, Lilly and I were rootin' around the house and we came across a wedding gift we didn't give you." Miley said.

"You didn't have to do that! I mean, we got married a year ago!" Kylie said.

"I think you two might want this gift." Miley said.

"What is it? Your next record advance check? Cause I sure could use some more money!" Robby Ray said jokingly.

"Here. Just open this." Lilly said as she handed him a flat eight and a half by eleven inch package wrapped in silver and white wedding paper.

Kylie walked over to Robby Ray just as he began to open the gift. As he unwrapped it, he and Kylie could see that it was a silver picture frame with a certificate inside written in beautiful calligraphy. Kylie looked on as Robby Ray read it.

"Roses are red, violets are blue…" Robby Ray and Kylie looked up at Miley and Lilly. "Very original. Did ya think that one up yourselves?"

"Just keep readin', Hillbilly!" Miley joked. Robby Ray started over.

"Roses are red, violets are blue… Mamaw's a grandparent, and soon you will be too! Love, Miley and… Mama Lilly." Robby Ray and Kylie looked at Miley and Lilly in stunned disbelief. "You?..."

"Lilly's?..." Kylie stammered.

"Lilly's carrying your grandchild." Miley smiled warmly as a tear came to her eye.

"Oh my God!" Kylie breathlessly whispered as her tears began to fall. "Rob!"

Robby Ray dropped his eyes as they began to fill with tears. "You two have made me the happiest hillbilly in the world." Robby Ray eked out as Kylie embraced him. He then stepped forward to engage his daughters in a group hug that lasted for several minutes as all four of them cried. Several minutes passed before everyone gained their composure.

"So who have you told?" Robby Ray asked.

"You two were first. We're flying out to Malibu tomorrow to tell Lilly's folks." Miley said.

"You mean you haven't told your… what do you call them? Your Divas?" Kylie asked.

"I didn't want to chance anyone finding out before our parents." Lilly said. "The Divas don't know, Jackson, Oliver, nobody… just you two so far."

"Well don't worry. We won't say a word until you give us the okay. We don't want the press getting' ahold of this." Robby Ray said.

"Yeah. It was bad enough my parents found out I was gay on Entertainment Tonight. If they found I was pregnant the same way, I would never be able to set foot in Malibu again!" Lilly reasoned.

* * *

**Friday, March 20, 2020 – 4 pm – Ed and Ellen Truscott's home – Malibu, California**

Miley and Lilly arrived at the Truscott residence unannounced. Lilly knew that her father was taking a couple of weeks off and knew he would be home, just waking up from his afternoon nap.

"Ed? Do you want something to drink? I'm headed toward the kitchen." Ellen Truscott said to her husband.

"We have any more lemonade?" Ed asked.

"I'll get you some." Ellen said just as she heard keys hit the lock. "Huh. Evan said he wasn't coming over until later." Ellen's face registered complete shock and surprise when her only daughter and her wife walked through the front door. "Lilly? Miley? What on earth are you doing here?" Ellen said as she ran to the front door to embrace them.

"I thought you said we could drop by any time?" Lilly said as she hugged her mother.

"We did! We just didn't expect you so soon. We thought you'd come this summer!" Ellen said as Ed walked over to them.

"How are my girls?" Ed said as he hugged Miley then Lilly.

"Good Mister Truscott." Miley said.

"I told you that Dad was fine." Ed said.

"Okay… Dad." Miley said with a giggle. Just then the front door flew open and an out of breath Evan Truscott came flying through.

"I got a 911 page from Lilly while I was in my meeting! What's going on? Are you hurt?" Evan said.

"I'm not hurt. I'm fine. I'm more than fine." Lilly said.

"Well, honey, now you have me worried." Ellen said. "You do a surprise drop-in and page your brother with a 911 message in the middle of the day on a Friday…"

"All right." Lilly said with resignation in her voice. "If the three of you want to find out from Entertainment Tonight or a giddy Oliver that I'm pregnant then be my guest. Come on Miley."

Ed, Ellen and Evan stood in the middle of the living room in shock. "Wait a minute!" Ellen exclaimed. "You're pregnant?"

"We found out on Tuesday!" Lilly exclaimed. Her exclamation sent the house into hysterics. Hugs and tears flowed like water in the Truscott living room as Lilly's announcement sank in.

"She's gonna have a Christmas baby!" Ellen exclaimed. "I've always wanted a Christmas baby in the family!"

"Well it looks like you're gonna get your wish!" Lilly said.

"I've got to tell…"

"Absolutely no one. Not just yet, Mom." Miley said. "I told my father and Kylie and the three of you. We're gonna tell our friends next but then that's it until we make a statement in about a month or so. Can you keep it to yourself until then?"

"You're asking a lot of Mom." Evan said. "She's like and old rusty refrigerator. She can't keep anything."

"Evan, you just forfeited your piece of pie for dinner." Ellen said.

"Sucker!" Lilly teased.

"For you two, we'll keep it to ourselves, if you promise not to go more than a couple of months without visiting with the baby." Ed said.

"Dad, you've got yourself a deal." Lilly said.

"Well now this dinner is a celebration dinner for the newest member of the Truscott family!" Ellen said. "You are staying for dinner, aren't you?"

"Have I ever turned down dinner before?" Lilly asked. "Besides, I get Evan's piece of pie!"

"To hell you do! I'll thumb wrestle you for it!" Evan said.

"Bring it on, Big Boy!" Lilly challenged.

Ellen leaned over to Miley as they watched Lilly thumb wrestle her brother for pie. "I'm glad to see that the idea of motherhood is starting to soften my Lillian." Ellen said sarcastically. They then watched as Lilly managed to beat Evan and throw her hands up into the air and begin flexing like Hulk Hogan.

"That's our Lilly; soft, dainty, girly Lilly." Miley said flatly. "And her appetite is only gonna get worse."

Ellen walked over to the dining room table and picked up a stack of coupons she cut out of the newspaper. "Here, dear. You're gonna need these more than I will."

Miley smiled and watched Lilly tease her brother about his lack of pie and how she's gonna devour his piece. "Sweet niblets."

* * *

**Lucky number thirteen is done! Yes Miley and Lilly will go on to tell all of their friends about her pregnancy but you know that that parents have to be first. Another warp job coming up. We'll go from March to August in chapter fourteen. Come back to see who shows up in Nashville. I'll give you a hint. Their name rhymes with Haven. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	14. Cumulonimbus

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: Cumulo-what? I know that's what you probably said when you saw the name of this chapter. Allow me to explain. Our good friends at Wikipedia define cumulonimbus (pronounced cūm-you-low-nim-bus) as a type of cloud that is tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other intense weather. The clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold front in a squall line. Cumulonimbus clouds form from cumulus clouds and can further develop to a supercell, a severe thunderstorm with special features. **

**Now, if I told you that this chapter is going to help set up the beginning of the **_**Thunderstorm**_** sequel I've been talking about, would you understand the chapter title now? I thought so. We will see an appearance from an old friend in this chapter. Remember I told you, their name rhymes with Haven.**

**

* * *

**

**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 14**

**Cumulonimbus**

**Monday, August 10, 2020 – 7 pm – Miley and Lilly's house – Belle Meade, Tennessee**

Lilly was five months pregnant and starting to show. It hadn't gotten to the point that it was uncomfortable for her to move around but Miley was cautious with her nonetheless. As Miley expected, Lilly's appetite grew. The petite five-foot, six-inch blonde normally weighed between 125 and 135 pounds. During month number five, she had gone up to about 155 pounds, with no check in her appetite. Pepperoni pizza from either Domino's, Papa John's or Pizza Hut were her cravings of choice along with chocolate ice cream from Cold Stone creamery or Baskin-Robbins topped with sprinkles that she carried in her purse.

Lilly found herself frequently on the phone with London who herself was eight months pregnant with Maddie's first child. It made Lilly feel as if she weren't going through the experience alone, having one of her best friends there with her in spirit, even though she was eleven hundred miles away.

Miley was on her way home with Lilly's cravings of choice after calling to ask Lilly if she needed anything. Lilly was downstairs in the media room watching television when to her surprise, the intercom for the gate chimed.

"Huh. We weren't expecting anybody tonight." Lilly said out loud to herself before getting up out of her plush movie theatre-style stadium chair to answer the intercom. "Hello?"

"_Lilly? It's Raven! Open up!"_

"Raven?" Lilly said to herself before responding. "Yeah! Hang on!" Lilly hit the button to open the gate. She then made her way up the stairs and to the front door. By the time she opened the front door, Raven was parking her rental car next to Lilly's Bentley.

Raven made her way up to the front door with a smile on her face as Lilly's face had a mixture of happiness and disbelief over Raven's surprise visit.

"Oh my God! What are you doing here?" Lilly said as she hugged Raven.

"Well, I was in Memphis for a regional sales meeting and I said to myself that I was only two hundred miles away and Miley and Lilly would kill me if they knew I was in Tennessee and didn't stop by." Raven said.

"Well come on in!" Lilly said, leading Raven by the hand inside. "Where's your bag?"

"I have a room at the Four Seasons in town, I just thought I'd come visit." Raven said.

"You know you're more than welcome to stay here or the guest house, whichever is more comfortable for you." Lilly said.

"I don't want to impose…"

"That's what friends are for; to be impositions on each other!" Lilly said. "Come on. I was downstairs watching TV." Raven followed Lilly downstairs to the media room and sat down in one of the plush stadium seats. "So how's Chelsea doing?"

For the first time that Lilly could ever remember, Raven's face did not light up at the mention of Chelsea's name. It struck her as odd but she kept that observation to herself for the time being.

"She's fine." Raven said rather flatly. "She's… been working late, you know… busy at the firm. The odd chord struck Lilly again, this time getting the better of her curiosity.

"Is everything all right?" Lilly asked.

"What? Oh… yeah. Yeah. Everything's fine. We've both… been busy, you know… barely seen each other lately… long hours and such." Raven stammered. Lilly had never known the usually quick witted, sure of herself Raven to be at a loss for words.

_Fumbling over her words and two 'You knows' in two sentences? Something's definitely not right._ Lilly thought to herself. Before she could get cranked up to inquire further about her suspicions, they heard Miley's voice call out from upstairs.

"_LIL? ARE YOU IN HERE CHEATING ON ME AGAIN?"_

Lilly looked at Raven and silently giggled. Raven returned Lilly's giggle with a half-hearted smile that Lilly didn't pick up on in her effort to have some fun with her wife.

"OH GOD YES! BABY! RIGHT THERE! UNHHH! UNHHHH!" Lilly exclaimed in her best porn star voice. She started laughing hysterically as she saw Miley slowly saunter down the stairs to the media room. Raven smirked and gave a chuckle that to the naked eye was warm enough but would have appeared forced upon further review.

"Those sounds are reserved for me!" Miley said just before reaching the bottom of the stairs. When she reached the bottom, her mouth dropped open at seeing her friend from New York. "Great Caesar's ghost! Raven Baxter-Daniels! What in the blue blazes are you doing here?" Miley said as she briskly walked over to embrace Raven, planting a big chaste kiss on her lips.

"Hey watch the lips, buddy!" Lilly teased. "And she gets a kiss before I do?"

"I'm sorry baby." Miley said in a playful pout. Raven looked on with a dim smile as Miley cupped Lilly's face and kissed her softly then rubbed her belly. "And how's mommy's little man today?"

"Oh, you're having a boy?" Raven softly exclaimed.

"We found out Friday." Miley said with a smile. "So you never answered me! What are you doing here?"

"I was in Memphis on business and just decided to pop on over and say hi." Raven said.

"Well I brought pizza and ice cream…" Miley started.

"What kind?" Lilly asked expectantly.

"Does it matter?" Miley asked playfully.

"Not really! Lemme at it!" Lilly said excitedly.

"Well look, I don't want to be a third wheel…" Raven started.

"What's your hurry? You know you and Chelsea are welcome here day or night, three hundred sixty five days a year." Miley said. "By the way, how is Chelsea?"

Lilly tried not to be obvious as she intently watched Raven's face again for any signs of distress. Once again, she noticed Raven's brilliantly hazel eyes dim just a bit before speaking.

"She's doing fine. She's working, I'm working… we've been really busy." Raven said with no lift in her voice.

"And you two haven't seen each other… and you're not doing it… and you're a little bummed out…" Miley said.

Raven paused for a second. "Something like that." She said.

"Aha! A rut. We haven't gotten there but, you have your friendship. That will carry you through the little rough patches." Miley said. "But who am I kidding? You two have been together forever. You could teach us a thing or ten about a happy marriage!" Just then, Lilly looked at Miley and with a subtle move of her eyes conveyed to Miley that they need to go upstairs to talk. "You know what? You're staying and having pizza with us! I'm not taking no for an answer! I am going to fix us something to drink and I'll be right back!"

"And I'm going to go feel her up while she's doing it." Lilly said. "Be right back!" Miley jogged upstairs with Lilly behind her, albeit at a slower pace. When they reached the kitchen, Miley turned around with concern on her face, recognizing Lilly's eye gesture as a serious one.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Miley asked.

"Something is wrong with Raven and I think it has to do with Chelsea." Lilly said.

"Are you sure?" Miley asked.

"Miles, that woman's eyes normally sparkle when you think about mentioning Chelsea. Today, it looked like Chelsea was the last person she wanted to talk about." Lilly said.

"She did seem a little… morose." Miley said.

"Okay, no more Wedding Crashers before you go to bed." Lilly said. "But seriously, what can we do?"

"I don't think we can do anything until Raven wants to tell us what's going on, if anything is going on." Miley said. "We certainly shouldn't push her. Let's just… let her talk about what she wants and see if she brings up Chelsea."

"Okay. I can do that." Lilly said. "All right, now get the drinks before she thinks we're up here talking about her."

"But we are up here talking about her." Miley said.

"No. You're fixing drinks and I'm feeling you up, remember?" Lilly said as she stepped forward and cupped Miley's breasts. Miley backed up until she was pinned between Lilly and the edge of the counter. "Not only has my appetite increased, but I'm starting to get hornier."

"So… I've noticed." Miley whispered as Lilly brushed her thumbs over Miley's sensitive nipples. "What… if I did this… to you?"

"I'd probably come." Lilly purred in a whisper. "My nipples have gotten very sensitive."

Just as her good feelings kicked up a notch, Miley grasped Lilly's wrists. "Whoa! Slow down, baby!" Miley whispered. "We have a guest. Let's wait until we go to bed. Okay?"

"Party pooper." Lilly pouted playfully as she grabbed the two boxes of pizza and a handful of napkins. Miley smiled and began gathering glasses and ice as Lilly made her way back downstairs.

Moments after Lilly arrived downstairs, Miley came down with a tray of sodas, glasses of ice.

"I hope pepperoni is okay." Lilly said to Raven.

"It's great. I'm not the vegetarian, Chels… is." Raven realized she was mentioning her wife again and quickly put the brakes on her thought.

Miley picked up on Raven's screeching halt and quickly switched gears. "So how's work going? I heard that you have this big collaboration with Devyn Shelby!"

Raven's jaw stiffened at the mention of her collaborator. "That woman is the biggest pain in the ass in the history of fashion design." Raven said through gritted teeth. "I want to take her to Utah and have her summarily executed by a firing squad!"

_Nice job, Miley. _Miley said to herself.

"Well… it's almost over, right?" Lilly said.

_In more ways than one. _Raven thought before answering. "Thank God yes."

"Good. Now you can help me with something." Miley tried another tactic, knowing what make Raven happy.

"I've been approached about presenting at the Academy Awards ceremony in March…" Miley started.

"Say no more. Just tell me when you want the dress. I will make you the envy of every heifer at that awards show!" Raven said to the delight of Miley. "Unless I go then I'll have to take you down."

"That's my girl!" Miley said as she embraced Raven. "Now let's eat this pizza before it gets cold."

The three women talked for about a half an hour as they ate, covering just about every subject known to man in that time. As they talked, Lilly and Miley did their best to observe Raven without appearing to do so. What they noticed was a much less animated Raven than they were used to. She still laughed at every joke and threw in anecdotes here and there, but she was not the life-of-the-party, ring leader of the Divas that she normally was. It was obvious to Miley and Lilly that something heavy was weighing on Raven's mind. They just hoped what ever it was didn't consume her before she could figure out how to deal with it.

"Raven, I just noticed that beautiful necklace you have on." Lilly said. Raven stopped in mid-thought and paused to look down at the necklace. She put a neutral smile on her face as she massaged the brilliant sapphire stone between her thumb and forefinger. It was then that Miley's eye lit up as she remembered where she had seen it before.

"Thanks Lil." Raven said softly. "Chelsea wore this on our wedding day." Raven let out a sigh. "Her mother gave it to her the morning of the wedding." Raven paused again. "It's a family heirloom passed down through three generations of Richmond women. She told me the day after the wedding that it belonged to us… that I was a Richmond now as much as I was a Daniels."

"That's beautiful." Lilly said. Raven nodded her head.

"You know, I still remember everything about the day y'all got married." Miley said.

"Really?" Raven asked. "Some things are kind of a blur. I was… so excited."

"I especially remember the looks on your faces when the sheet went up and you saw each other in your dresses for the first time." Miley said.

"A sheet?" Lilly inquired. She and Oliver did not attend Raven and Chelsea's wedding.

"Yeah." Miley said. "They used a sheet to keep them from seeing the other person before the ceremony…

**FLASHBACK – **_**(excerpt from For Them The Bells Toll, chapter 12, The Moment)**_

_The first sheet that separated Raven and Chelsea was slowly pulled back. They simultaneously turned their heads to look at one another. They were standing next to one another, Victor was to Raven's left, Rich was to Chelsea's right. The dresses Raven made were of white silk that danced effortlessly when they walked. They were trimmed in the most delicate white lace. Both dresses were strapless. Chelsea's neck was adorned with the sapphire necklace her grandmother left her. Raven's neck was adorned with the silver locket her Grandma Viv gave her on her eighteenth birthday. As they promised, they were both barefoot, leaving their white, strappy sandal heels in their limousines. Both of their heads were adorned with tiaras of miniature lilies fixed in their upswept hair._

_The looks in their eyes said it all. They were both mesmerized by the visions of beauty and elegance that were before them. Just before the final sheet went up, there was only one thing left to be said… and it was Raven's to say._

"_I told you it would fit."_

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"That was a breathtaking moment." Raven recalled.

"I bet that was beautiful." Lilly said. "Just as beautiful as the moment your dad saw Kylie at the top of the aisle, remember?"

"Yeah. That old hillbilly broke down at the altar." Miley said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to see it." Raven said of her and Chelsea's absence at Robby Ray and Kylie's wedding. She and Chelsea had prior business engagements that prevented them from leaving New York.

"It would have made you cry." Lilly said.

**FLASHBACK – **_**(Saturday, March 23, 2019 – 2:26 pm – First Baptist Church of Nashville - Nashville, Tennessee)**_

Robby Ray stood at the altar with his best man Tyler Connors and his groomsmen; his brother Bobby Ray, his cousin Earl, his nephew Steven, Vickie's oldest son, and Kylie's youngest brother Mitchell. They stood opposite the cadre of bridesmaids; Miley, Lilly, Kylie's best friend Stephanie and Kylie's sister next in age to her, Patience. The Maid of honor title was bestowed upon Kylie's youngest sister Adrienne.

"I've been waitin' twenty years for this day, brother!" Tyler whispered to Robby Ray moments before the wedding march began.

"You've really wanted me to marry this girl that bad! How much money do you have ridin' on this thing?" Robby Ray joked.

"You've still got your sense of humor. Good. That means you won't run." Tyler said.

"Are you kidding me? Have you seen the size of Kylie's cousins? They look like they should be playin' football at UT!" Robby Ray said causing Tyler and the other groomsmen to chuckle seconds before _Here Comes the Bride _began.

As the first notes sounded, Robby Ray could feel his heart begin to pound. He hadn't been this nervous since he stood at the end of the aisle about to watch Brooke come down the aisle some thirty-six years earlier. Robby Ray knew that when those doors opened, all he would see would be his bride-to-be. Kylie's father had passed several years earlier and she vowed that no one else would walk her down the aisle.

The doors at the back of the sanctuary opened and when Robby Ray glimpsed his bride in her gorgeous ball gown of a white lace wedding dress, he was overcome with emotion. Miley and Lilly glanced over in time to see Robby Ray drop his head and begin sobbing. Every woman inside the church welled up seeing his emotional breakdown including Kylie who despite her best efforts could not hold back her tears.

"Oh my God, he loves her so much." Miley whispered to Lilly as Kylie continued her walk toward the altar.

"This is why I love weddings." Lilly said.

"They are gonna be so great together." Miley said with a tearful smile.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

All three women had glassy eyes as tears threatened to spill over the poignancy of the story.

"WHOO! I do not need to cry today!" Raven said as she fanned herself. This was the most demonstrative she had been that evening. "I've been doin' way to much of that lately."

"Why?" Lilly asked with concern.

Raven mentally kicked herself for saying that but had a quick recovery. "I get emotional when I'm tired and frustrated. Work has been kickin' my booty!"

"Wanna vent? I'm a good person to vent to." Miley said.

Raven thought about the offer for a moment. She had indeed been carrying a heavy burden around for the better part of four months and it was starting to take its toll.

"I'm good." Raven said. "But I promise to come to you if it gets to be too much."

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Miley said.

"But back to weddings… you never told me how your friend Oliver's wedding went or Jackson's for that matter." Raven said.

"Well… Oliver's was just beautiful." Lilly said. "They got married in a huge Catholic church in downtown Chicago. They had a Mass and then a reception near Navy Pier. I have never seen so much food in my life!"

"And she ate more than her fair share too!" Miley added causing them to chuckle.

"Well, Oliver's may have been more beautiful to the eye, but Jackson's was heartwarming and funny." Lilly said.

"Yeah. Especially when the unity candle went out!" Miley said.

"I've never seen that happen before!" Lilly said laughing.

**FLASHBACK – **_**(Saturday, April 27, 2019 – 3 pm – Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church – Washington, D.C.)**_

The beautiful ceremony uniting Jackson Rod Stewart and Tamera Jenae Carson was straight out of the wedding ceremony textbook. They had reached the part of the ceremony where the mothers of the bride and groom meet near the altar to jointly light a candle symbolizing the uniting of the two families. Tamera's father and stepmother met Robby Ray and Kylie on several occasions since the engagement and really enjoyed each others company.

Kylie and Tamera's stepmother, Angela, solemnly approached the unity candle with their candles. After stopping at the candle stand, Kylie and Angela brought their candles together, touching their flames to the wick of the larger candle. After separating, the wick of the larger candle flickered to life, the warm glow of the candle fluttering brightly. Just as Kylie and Angela moved to step away, the flame suddenly died. The women locked eyes and moved toward the candle again, touching their candles to the wick, again lighting the wick. For a second time, the flame dimmed and went out.

"Lord, are you trying to tell us something?" Tamera said out loud causing the guests to burst out in laughter. Jackson smiled and shook his head.

"Shhh. Don't tempt Him!" Jackson whisper-yelled to Tamera. "If we stay cool, it'll light this time. I can feel it.

Jackson's words turned out to be prophetic as on the third try the unity candle blazed forth in all its glory not to be extinguished.

"Thank goodness." Miley whispered to her fellow bridesmaid, her wife Lilly. "I thought we were gonna have to return their gift."

"We wouldn't have had to worry about that. I would have kept it." Lilly said with a smile.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"The worst thing Chelsea and I had to worry about was having our dresses blow up over our heads." Raven said causing the other two women to laugh.

"But you know, I look at things like that happening during weddings as a blessing." Miley said.

"Me too." Lilly said. "Weddings that are too perfect are like guys that are too perfect. You're just waiting for him to scratch his nuts in front of you or something else gross." Miley and Raven burst out into laughter.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" Miley exclaimed as she laughed.

"You've never caught your man doing that before? That's why I'm glad we don't have all that going on down here." Lilly said waving her hand over her pelvic area. Miley and Raven continued laughing.

"Come here, Nut Job!" Miley said as she stood up and walked over to Lilly to kiss her forehead and pull Lilly's head to her stomach. Raven looked at Miley and Lilly's display of affection and smiled. She then felt her bottom lip quiver and the familiar churn of her stomach that she had experienced over the last four months.

"Can I use your bathroom? Too much soda." Raven said.

"Of course you can. Straight down that hallway, last door on the left." Miley said.

"Thanks." Raven said with a smile before getting up and walking down the hallway.

"Still worried about her?" Miley asked Lilly as they heard the bathroom door close.

"A little. But she seemed to come closer to her old self after a while." Lilly said.

"Raven is one of the strongest women I know. Whatever is going on, she can handle it. If she needs us, she'll let us know." Miley said.

Moments earlier…

Raven stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. After finishing her business, she flushed the toilet and began washing her hands. As she worked the liquid soap into her hands, she looked down into the sink and then looked up at her reflection in the mirror. As she checked her appearance, her eyes fell upon the sapphire necklace that Chelsea had shared with her ten years earlier. As she stared at the pendant and thought about all of the stress that swirled around her life, her eyes welled up with tears. Unable to look at herself, she closed her eyes. Several seconds passed before another set of tears began streaming down her face as she began doing something that had become all too familiar to her over the recent months. She stood alone and silently sobbed.

* * *

**(Raven's voice) – "Next, in Back to the Future…"**

**Lilly and Miley travel to Massachusetts to celebrate with their friends. London's baby shower – **_**Joy and Pain: The Liley Point of View**_** is next.**

**PLEASE REVIEW**


	15. Joy and Pain: The Liley Point of View

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: Okay, here we go. If you have been reading this story I told you this chapter was coming. If you read my story before this, The Search for Tomorrow, then this chapter will seem like déjà vu, which it will be, kinda sorta.**

**In this chapter we will once again visit Maddie and London on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at their home in Wellesley, Massachusetts for London's baby shower. This time we will see things from Miley and Lilly's point of view. Everything you saw in chapter 17 of Search for Tomorrow, you will see here, with a few differences. This is helping to set the stage for Raven and Chelsea's next fic, Love Conquers All. It will also move to bring closure to this story, which right now (who knows I may change my mind) has one chapter remaining after this one. So sit back, relax and enjoy London's baby shower… again. **

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* * *

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**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 15**

**Joy and Pain: The Liley Point of View**

**Saturday, September 12, 2020 – 12:10 pm – Westbound Massachusetts Turnpike, just outside of Boston**

Miley and Lilly left the hotel moments earlier on their way to Maddie and London's house for London's baby shower. Lilly was especially excited about the shower because she wanted ideas for the baby shower that she had tentatively scheduled for November. Over the last couple of months, she and London had become closer due to their concurrent pregnancies. To say Lilly enjoyed being pregnant was an understatement; she loved it. She stayed in the baby store shopping for clothes, toys and furniture. She spent hours online researching everything from the best formulas to use to the pros and cons of breast feeding. She had been giddy since they left Nashville Friday afternoon and was still in a great mood during their 30 minute drive to the affluent Boston suburb.

(Lilly singing)

"I could feel, that it was over, your love for me, diminished slowly, I could tell, you had another on your mind, it's no way to treat me, when you know how I feel inside…" Miley picked up where Lilly left off, continuing the song.

"I could not hide the way I felt last night, tears I cried… My love for you I can't deny… No, no, no – no, no – no, no – nooooo…

(Both singing)

"Nights like this I wish, that raindrops would fall…" Lilly added the baseline. "Boom, boom – boom, boom, boom – boom. "Nights like this I wish, that raindrops would fall…"

"The Five Heartbeats was an awesome movie!" Lilly said. "I hadn't seen that in years. I'm glad they played it last night."

"I wish they had been a real group. I would have bought their albums." Miley said.

"Well since I'm married to a country and pop sensation, I don't have to worry about buying her albums… right?" Lilly said.

"Lil! You know I would not charge you… full price." Miley joked.

"Thanks. You're all heart." Lilly said sarcastically as Miley laughed.

"It'll be good seeing everybody together again." Miley said. "We all haven't been together since the cancer benefit."

"Wow! It's really been almost two years since we've all been together?" Lilly exclaimed. "This should be fun!"

"Yeah. I just hope Raven and Chelsea are okay. We haven't talked to either one of them since Raven's visit last month." Miley said.

"They'll be fine. Nothing brings out good feelings like weddings and births." Lilly said. "Now pop in a CD. I feel like singing!"

"Hey! I've got something for us to sing!" Miley said as she handed Lilly the CD case. "Put in disc number three, first track." Lilly found the disc number three and put it in, letting it automatically play. Lilly nodded her head and smiled as she heard the opening notes of Shakira and Beyonce's collaborative hit, Beautiful Liar.

Lilly started singing. "Beyonce, Beyonce…" Miley added, "Shakira, Shakira…"

The two ladies launched into the song as they continued their journey toward the baby shower.

* * *

**Saturday, September 12, 2020 – 12:25 pm - London and Maddie's house – Wellesley, Massachusetts**

London and Maddie walked into the living room to a scene straight out of some man's fantasy. Their good friend Mary-Margaret had her girlfriend Corrie slung over her shoulder caveman-style while their other friend Sandrine and her girlfriend Chloe were tickling Corrie who was laughing and screaming.

"I'M GONNA kill… ALL OF YOU!" Corrie exclaimed in laughter as she laid victim of a mid-air tickling three-way.

"Great! Y'all wait until I'm eight and a half months pregnant to have a lesbian orgy! You people suck." London teased.

"Gangbang on the one who's knocked up!" Chloe yelled as Mary-Margaret let Corrie down and the four women started toward London. Maddie quickly stepped in between them and held out her palm to stop them.

"Hold it! The only ones gangbangin' ol' Pregnant Polly here is me…" Maddie said before holding up her hands and wiggling her fingers. "… and my ten little friends here. Now move along. Nothing to see here."

The four women turned around and began playfully muttering, punctuated by Chloe saying, "Aww, man! I wanted to do a pregnant chick!"

"This looks beautiful!" London said as she looked around the living room in amazement. Beautiful pastel shades of blue, yellow pink and white blended perfectly with the soft color palette of the furnishings of the room.

"Wait till you see the entertainment room!" Sandrine gushed about the media room downstairs that would serve as the second shower area. They were expecting about a hundred guests.

"You guys are just so…" London started before being overwhelmed by tears.

Maddie took London's head and laid it on her chest. "She's been weepy for a while now. Hormones." Maddie said.

"You're welcome London. We love you. That's why we did this for you." Mary-Margaret said.

"Yeah. You and Maddie are the best." Corrie said.

"I love you guys too." London said as she dried her tears. "I can't wait to see my other girls too."

"When are they getting here?" Chloe asked.

"Miley and Lilly said they would be here around one to help us finish setting up." Maddie said. "Raven said she was coming in from an out-of-town business trip but that she would meet Chelsea here at four."

"Is it just me or did she sound a little strange the last time you talked to her?" London said.

"I called Chelsea about three weeks ago and asked about Raven and she was just kind of, I don't know, short with me, like, 'She's okay.', and she left it at that." Maddie said.

"Maybe they had a fight. They've been married for, what, twelve, thirteen years?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"Yeah but I've never know them to fight for this long. It's been going on two months now." Maddie said. Just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Maddie said before walking out of the living room and down the hallway to the door. She opened the door to see Miley and her pregnant wife of six months, Lilly. "Divas!" Maddie exclaimed as she hugged each of them. She then called into the living room as they walked. "Look what the wind blew in from Tennessee!"

All the women exchanged hellos and hugs. London and Lilly compared bellies. Maddie and Miley compared spousal stories of middle-of-the-night craving runs to the store.

"So what was it this week?" Maddie asked.

"Pepperoni pizza and chocolate ice cream with sprinkles. You?" Miley said.

"Reuben sandwich, black and white cookie from Starbucks, gotta be Starbucks, fried shrimp and Salt and Vinegar potato chips." Maddie said.

Miley stuck out her hand to shake. "I concede. You win."

"Thank you." Maddie deadpanned as she accepted the handshake.

"So when is your due date, Lilly?" Sandrine asked.

"December 20th." Lilly said. "I hope he comes after Christmas."

"You're having a boy?" Corrie said. "AWWW! Have you named him yet?"

"Robert Jackson Truscott." Lilly said.

"Wasn't that sweet?" Miley said. "Daddy and Jackson cried when she told 'em."

"Yeah. We're naming the next one Christopher Edward after my brother Evan and my father." Lilly said.

"Yeah. We though Evan Edward was just… too many E's." Miley said.

"So looks like all we're missing is Raven and Chelsea." Lilly said.

"They'll be here later." Maddie said.

"You know, Raven came to visit us about a month ago and… I'm a little worried about her." Miley said.

"I was just saying that she didn't seem right the last time I talked to her. I asked her if everything was okay. She just said she was really tired." London said.

"Well she's been working hard on that new design collaboration with Devyn Shelby." Lilly said. "She was in Memphis for a regional sales meeting when she stopped by."

"Maybe that's why they're fighting – over her long hours." Corrie said.

"Chelsea's been putting in some long hours too. There's some new client that they've got her working with. She's been swamped." Maddie said.

"You know, my friend Marie lives in Lyon. So does Devyn Shelby. Marie met her once." Sandrine said of her friend in France. "Marie told me she was a real bitch."

"Well that's probably it." Mary-Margaret said. "Raven's been in a pissy mood after having to work with a class-A bitch all day and she snaps at Chelsea. I've seen it before."

"Well whatever it is, they will probably tell us after they've made up." Miley said. "After all, they're Raven and Chelsea! They're Chrave! Without them, Lilly and I wouldn't have gotten together when we did. London and Maddie wouldn't have gotten together when they did. They should be hosting Lesbian Love Connection! We'll be back in two and two." Miley said, with the last part being an imitation of Chuck Woolery from Love Connection.

"You know what? Miley's right. They'll be fine and we…" Maddie said as she grabbed London and held her from behind, rubbing her pregnant belly. "… will be fine too. We'll let you guys finish."

"It's almost party time!" Lilly exclaimed.

Around ten after four the party started to kick into full swing. About fifty of London and Maddie's closest friends and family were in attendance including all of the Divas except two, the ones that were considered to be the founders and the emotional center of the group, Raven and Chelsea. Miley and Lilly were in a group that included London, Maddie, C.J (Cody) and his wife Barbara, and London's mother Sandra.

"I can't get over how beautiful you two look!" Sandra said to Lilly and London. "Pregnancy really agrees with you two."

"London's been emailing me beauty tips for pregnant women. I have been following them to the letter!" Lilly said.

"You know you didn't have to. You were perfect before and will be perfect after." Miley said causing the group to give them a round of aww's.

"Aren't they the sweetest?" Barbara said warmly.

"I am definitely feelin' the love." Maddie said. "Excuse me guys. I'm gonna go check things out in the kitchen." Maddie started to walk away.

"Maddie!" London whined playfully as she sat in her chair and tilted her head up, puckering her lips for a kiss. Maddie smiled and walked over to her wife, giving her a peck as she continued to the kitchen.

The group talked and laughed for several minutes before Miley excused herself to go to the restroom. When she returned from the restroom, she looked down the hallway that led from the restroom to the front door and saw Maddie talking to a woman that she believed was a redhead that walked away from Maddie toward the living room. As she got closer, she saw one of the servants come up and take a box that Maddie was holding, presumably to stage it with the rest of the gifts.

As the servant walked away, Miley walked up to Maddie. "Was that Chelsea?" Miley asked.

"Yep." Maddie said. "And she's not looking happy."

"Well let me go correct that." Miley said. "Nobody stays down with a frown while Smiley Miley's in your town!"

Maddie looked at Miley with a blank look on her face. "Just made that one up, huh?"

"Yep." Miley said.

"Sounded like it." Maddie said. "Just sing. Leave the lyrics to your old man." Miley smirked and playfully slapped Maddie on the arm before heading into the living room.

Miley walked up behind Chelsea just before she reached the group. "You better say hi to me with your fine redheaded self!"

Chelsea turned around and smiled. "Miley." Chelsea opened her arms to embrace her. "It's been way too long."

"I know." Miley said. "You look great."

"Huh. Looks can be deceiving. I'm exhausted." Chelsea said.

Miley decided to cast a line to see if Chelsea would bite. "I know. Raven told us when she visited us last month. She said that you two have been really busy and haven't seen a lot of each other lately."

Chelsea's face grew quizzical. "Rae visited you?" Chelsea asked, before catching herself. "That's right. Her sales meeting in Memphis." Chelsea recalled from her calendar. In reality, she hadn't had a meaningful conversation with Raven in over a month. Miley's face didn't register any reaction to Chelsea's slip but she made a mental note of it. "So how are Lilly and the baby?" Chelsea inquired.

"Come see for yourself. She can't wait to see you." Miley said as she locked arms with Chelsea and walked her over to the group, which now included Zack and his wife Max.

Maddie walked into the living room and made it a point to stand off to the side, taking in the whole scene. As she scanned the room, her eyes fell on the group that surrounded her wife. She smiled as she watched London just as happy as could be, surrounded by her closest friends. She watched all of them engaged in uproarious laughter with one exception. She noted that Chelsea's "outbursts" consisted of a smile here or a chuckle there, nothing like the belly laughs that the others shared.

_I have known Chelsea for more than ten years and I have never seen her this melancholy. What is going on with her?_ Maddie thought to herself. Another joke was cracked. Miley nudged Chelsea's shoulder, slightly knocking her off balance, eliciting, up until that point, the most animated response from Chelsea thus far – a playful push back, a toothless smile and a shake of the head. "Chels…" Maddie whispered to herself.

Miley and Lilly locked eyes at one point and smiled lovingly to each other. Lilly mouthed, 'I love you', to which Miley responded with the same. They both reengaged themselves in the conversation. Miley then looked over toward where Maddie was standing just in time to see Raven walk up behind her. Miley glanced over at Lilly who gave her a knowing look, acknowledging that she saw Raven. Both of them then discreetly glanced at Chelsea whom they saw lock eyes with Raven briefly before returning them to the group. Just then, Lilly's bladder called on her for some relief and she politely excused herself to the bathroom near the front door.

A few moments later, Miley noticed a subtle but pronounced change in Chelsea's demeanor as she watched Raven give Maddie a gift for the shower.

"Would… you all excuse me for a moment?" Chelsea said with quiet politeness. "I need to go say hi to my wife." With that, she stepped away from the group and headed over to Raven who at this point saw Chelsea coming.

"Hi… baby." Raven said politely as she leaned over to place a soft kiss on Chelsea's cheek.

"Good afternoon… sweetheart. How was your flight?" Chelsea said with a hint of irritation underneath. She then placed her hands on Raven's shoulders and pressed her lips to Raven's cheek before sliding her lips back to Raven's ear. "I need to have a word with you in private." Chelsea said with ice cold neutrality.

Raven nodded toward the study just off of the front door. She noticed that it was empty when she came in. London took note of the exchange and felt that it lacked warmth from where she stood. At that same moment, Miley also took note of the absence of the usual warm and fuzzy feel to Raven and Chelsea's encounters. Raven gingerly took Chelsea by the hand and led her off to the study.

Lilly, who was returning from the bathroom, looked down the hall and saw Raven lead Chelsea by the hand toward the study but then saw Chelsea snatch away from Raven as soon as they crossed the threshold. _What the hell…?_ Lilly thought to herself.

"You bought them a gift?" Chelsea snapped in a whisper-yell.

"I didn't know if you were going to get one so I went and bought one!" Raven responded with a whisper-yell snap of her own.

Maddie was coming out of the kitchen and saw Lilly standing frozen near the front door. She walked over to Lilly to make sure she was okay.

"Lil, everything okay…?" Maddie started.

"Shh." Lilly quickly shushed Maddie. "Look." Maddie turned her head to look down the hall into the study and witnessed flashes of a heated exchange.

"When have I ever not gone out and bought a gift for friends and family for a special occasion?" Chelsea spat.

"Well, maybe if you had talked to me about it and clued me in for a change!" Raven scoffed. "But no! Workaholic Chelsea doesn't do that!"

"Don't you give me that workaholic Chelsea shit!" Chelsea fumed in a whisper. "You know goddamn well why I'm not talking or anything else with you!"

"You really wanna fucking go there with me? Here? 'Cause I'd love to light your triflin' ass up right now!" Raven whisper-growled.

Chelsea stepped up into Raven's face and growled at her through gritted teeth. "Bring it the fuck on then, since you started this shit!"

Lilly and Maddie's blood ran cold. They watched in disbelieving horror as two of their best friends, two women they considered to be the happiest, most solid couple they know, have an animated argument. And while Maddie and Lilly were out of earshot, they could tell that the argument was an especially nasty one.

"Oh my God! Is Chelsea gonna hit her?" Lilly whisper-yelled as she grabbed Maddie's arm.

"What the hell is going on?" Maddie said in an incredulous whisper.

Seconds later, Chelsea came storming out of the study and down the hall toward Lilly and Maddie, who quickly turned away from her like they were engrossed in conversation. As Maddie and Lilly looked at each other in horror, they heard Chelsea say in a very loud whisper, "Fuck you Raven!". They then glanced out of the corner of their eye to see Chelsea make a beeline for the stairs that led down to the media room.

Before they could process that shocking event, they saw a blur coming toward them headed in the direction of the bathroom past them. Maddie stuck her hand out in an attempt to grab Raven's arm. "Rae…" Maddie called to her. Raven brushed her off quickly.

"Unh-uh." Raven said as she breezed by on the verge of tears. "Fuckin' bitch." She headed straight for the bathroom door turning the knob only to find it locked. The woman that was inside came out and Raven nearly knocked her down to get inside and slam the door.

Lilly and Maddie stood silent for a moment, unable to verbalize what they just saw. Lilly's head slowly swiveled as she looked down the hall to the study, then to the steps that led to the study, then to the kitchen, where she saw Chelsea duck into, then down to the bathroom where Raven was before settling back on Maddie.

"That was frightening." Lilly said with a shaky voice.

Maddie clutched Lilly by the shoulders. "Whatever you do, don't mention what you saw to London. You hear me? This is a day she's been looking forward to for nine months and I don't want it ruined by whatever just happened. Okay?" Maddie implored Lilly.

"She's gonna know." Lilly said.

"No she won't. I'll have a talk with both of them. Just do me a favor. Be an Academy Award-winning actress, put a smile on your face and make my wife happy. Please?" Maddie begged.

Lilly paused for a moment as the events of the last couple of minutes flashed through her mind as well as the look of happiness on London's face. "Okay. For London." Lilly said. Maddie shook her shoulders in encouragement and sent her back into the living room.

From the front door to the living room, Lilly quickly composed herself. It was hard to do considering the sick feeling she had in the pit of her stomach after hearing Raven and Chelsea bitterly curse each other after their argument. But Lilly had learned to steel herself in front of her students, a skill that was going to come in handy for the remainder of the afternoon.

Lilly rejoined the group as they continued laughing and sharing funny London and Maddie stories. Lilly went to her wife's side and took her by the hand, interlacing her fingers with Miley's. Miley looked over and smiled at Lilly who quickly leaned in and gave Miley a kiss that felt strange to Miley. When Miley took a look into Lilly's eyes, she could tell that something was amiss.

"What's wrong?" Miley whispered into Lilly's ear.

Lilly was about to turn her head to give Miley a little nugget of information about what she saw when she saw Maddie standing in the entrance to the living room waving to London.

Lilly put her lips to Miley's ear. "I'll tell you later." Lilly said, unable to keep a secret from Miley. Lilly then saw Maddie walk away from the entrance and decided that it was time to tell Miley what was going on. "Get us out of here for a second." Lilly whispered.

Miley nodded and waited for a minute or so, allowing the conversation to continue. When it reached a break point, Miley spoke up.

"I'm gonna steal my wife from y'all for a couple of minutes, but we'll be back!" Miley said cheerfully. The group acknowledged then before they walked out of the living room hand in hand. They walked down the hall a little bit until they stood near the top of the stairs that led down to the media room. "What's going on?"

"Raven and Chelsea just had a nasty fight in the study." Lilly started. "I was coming back from the bathroom and Maddie and I saw them. It was heated."

"What did they say to each other?" Miley asked with heavy concern.

"We couldn't hear them while they were arguing but when they finished, they both brushed past us in opposite directions. Chelsea muttered under her breath, 'Fuck you Raven' and Raven called her a fucking bitch." Lilly said. "I'm scared."

"Where are they now?" Miley asked.

"Chelsea went into the kitchen. Maybe she's outside. Raven went to the bathroom." Lilly said. Seconds after Lilly said that, they saw Raven slowly emerge from the hallway and stand near the front door.

"Stay put and act normal and happy for London. I'm going to talk to Raven." Miley said. Lilly whispered okay as she watched Miley walk toward Raven with purpose. Her heart nearly broke when she saw Raven drop her head and begin sobbing just as Miley reached her. Miley put an arm around Raven's shoulders and opened the front door as they went outside to talk.

Miley and Raven walked outside and continued walking until they were about thirty yards away from the front door. Raven continued sobbing as Miley wrapped her arms around her, allowing Raven to cry on her shoulder. After a couple of minutes, Raven straightened herself up and began wiping her eyes with both hands.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm out here slobbering all over you like a big baby." Raven said as she sniffed her tears.

"That's okay. That's what I'm here for." Miley said in a whisper. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Raven's bottom lip quivered and her puffy eyes welled up with tears again. She then looked up toward the sky and sucked in a deep, piercing breath. "Miley, this is killing me." She eked out. "I don't know what to do." Raven said tearfully as she dropped her head.

"Do about what, sweetie?" Miley said as she dropped her head to catch Raven's eye. Raven took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Miley what was causing her so much grief. When Raven finished, the tears that had welled up in Miley's eyes, began to fall. "Oh, honey come here." Miley pulled Raven's head to her chest as they both wept. After several minutes, Miley gingerly lifted Raven's head away from her. "You know we have to stop this crying." Raven nodded her head. "They're gonna wonder why our eyes are all red and puffy." Raven nodded again. "I'll tell them we were having happy thoughts… tears of joy, okay?" Raven again nodded.

"I… know you have to… tell Lilly." Raven said with tears still streaming.

"I won't tell her anything you don't want me too." Miley said softly.

"It's okay. Eddie and Gina know." Raven said. "Just please don't ever make the same mistake we did. Please." Raven pleaded.

"Okay." Miley said. "You'll make it through this. You don't see how right now but you will make it. Do you hear me?" Raven nodded. "I just told them today that you and Chelsea are Chrave. You're the reason all of us are together. I owe you big time for my happiness and I am not going to let you go down without a fight. All right?"

"Okay." Raven said meekly.

"Now let's go inside and get cleaned up. They're probably gonna be opening gifts soon." Miley said. Raven nodded in agreement again as the two friends held hands as they walked back up to the front door and inside. When she turned around from closing the door, she locked eyes with Maddie, who watched them come in. Seconds later, Miley saw Chelsea walk with her head down behind Maddie down the hallway in the opposite direction toward the other first floor bathroom. Miley glanced back down the hallway at Raven before heading toward Maddie. Maddie took a couple of steps down the hall toward Miley.

"You know, don't you?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah." Miley said meekly. "What are we gonna do?"

"There's nothing we can do." Maddie said. "This is one set of problems we can't help them solve. All I know is that we both have pregnant wives that don't need to be upset. We can't tell them."

"Who else knows?" Miley asked.

"Just the two of us and I think that's how it should stay." Maddie said.

"As much I hate keepin' secrets from Lilly, I agree with you on this one." Miley said, knowing that she couldn't keep this from Lilly, even in her pregnant state.

"Come on. Put your happy face on. Chelsea will be back soon." Maddie said.

"Raven too." Miley said.

"_MADDIE! COME ON! I WANNA OPEN MY GIFTS!"_ London bellowed from the living room.

"Go ahead. I'll get everybody from downstairs." Miley said.

"Thanks." Maddie said as she took a deep breath, put on her happy face and strode into the living room.

Miley stood in the middle of the hallway for a second before dipping into the kitchen. She walked over to the sink to splash some cold water on her face. As she stood there, she dropped her head. "Lord, remember when Lilly and I prayed to you for London and Maddie? Well we thank you for that one. But Lord, now Raven and Chelsea need your help and they need it bad. You know the situation and it's one that they can't work out alone. I know what your Word says about homosexuals, but they are people that really need your help. Please help them. Please heal them. They can't do this alone."

When Miley finished her prayer, she dried her face and went downstairs to bring everybody up to the living room for the opening of the gifts. Lilly saw her and made her way over to her.

"How is she?" Lilly asked in a whisper.

"Lil, this is a lot worse than we thought." Miley said softly. "Remember when we talked about our worse-case scenario?"

Lilly's face dropped. "Miley, no." Lilly said with sadness.

"Take that and multiply it by two." Miley said sadly. Lilly was rendered speechless by Miley's revelation. "Just pray for them. I just did."

Raven and Chelsea walked toward the living room from opposite ends of the hallway. Knowing that the other was approaching, neither of them could bring themselves to lift their heads to look at one another. As they walked into the room they glanced out of the corner of their eye at each other.

"Right on time!" London said. "I'll excuse the two of you for getting busy during my baby shower!" That made everyone laugh. Raven and Chelsea managed an embarrassed chuckle.

Lilly looked at Raven and Chelsea as they, for appearance sake, gingerly reached out to take the other one's hand as they stood next to each other, albeit at a safe distance.

"_Yeah."_ Lilly said to herself. _"They're gonna need all the prayer they can get."_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter fifteen is history and it was not one of my happier chapters for you to read or for me to write. Now there are a few things that happened after the last lines of this chapter. **

**For the benefit of those who haven't gotten around to reading **_**The Search for Tomorrow, **_**Raven and Chelsea ended up giving London identical car seats from Raven's new designer baby collection. After that, London began going into labor and was rushed to the hospital where after about seven hours of profane labor, London gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Catherine Miranda Li-Chen Tipton-Fitzpatrick.**

**What should be the final chapter of this story is coming up next. Do you really think that I would just leave Lilly six months pregnant and not have her deliver? The birth of Lilly and Miley's baby is coming up next. Thank you for coming this far. Your journey Back to the Future is nearly complete. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	16. We're Having a Baby!

**Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.**

**Author's Note: (Trip is singing) Although we've come, to the end of the road… still I can't let you go… It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you…**

**Remember Boyz II Men? They were the group back in the day! Anyway, we have come to the end of the road, the final chapter of what has been an immensely entertaining story for me to write and re-read. I thank you thus far for the nearly 170 reviews I have received. I am less than twenty reviews from my record for one story. No pressure to review it, I just thought I'd share that with you. LOL! Thank you for coming this far with me and please, please, please join me for my next story, **_**Love Conquers All**_**, which I should be posting the first chapter for no later than next Wednesday, June 11****th****. You all said you were intrigued as to what is going on with Raven and Chelsea. In **_**Love Conquers All**_**, you will find out. Now… on to Miley and Lilly's swan song, chapter sixteen, We're Having a Baby! The title is a tribute to the song Ricky sang for Lucy at the Tropicana the night she went to tell him that she was "expecting" (You couldn't say the word "pregnant" on TV in 1952). Enjoy. I'll talk to you at the end.**

_We're Having a Baby- (sung by Ricky Ricardo - Desi Arnaz)_

_**We're having a baby, my baby and me  
You'll read it in Winchell's  
That we're adding a limb to our family tree  
We're pushing our carriage  
How proud I will be  
There's nothing like marriage  
Ask your father and mother and they'll agree  
He'll have toys, baby clothes  
He'll know he's come to the right house  
By and by, when he grows  
Maybe he'll live in the White House  
Our future looks brighter  
But definitely  
We're having a baby  
We're having a baby  
We're having a baby  
My baby and me**_

**P.S – Another character… Lilly's OB/GYN, Stephanie DiGiacomo is portrayed by Rena Sofer. If you're a Heroes fan, she played Nathan's wife Heidi. If you're a fan of 24, she was Jack Bauer's sister-in-law, Marilyn.**

**Back to the Future**

**Chapter 16**

**We're Having a Baby!**

**Wednesday, December 23, 2020**

Lillian Jessica Truscott-Stewart was three days overdue and she was becoming grumpy. She knew that her doctor was going to call at any moment to tell her that she was going to have to come to the hospital to have her labor induced which meant that her entire Christmas day was going to be spent in a "sickatorium" as she sometimes called hospitals instead of her beautifully decorated home.

Miley had taken two weeks off from recording and doing her weekly radio segment on the local country music station to tend to Lilly. She vowed not to leave Lilly's side until she gave birth but when Arista Nashville requested a meeting with her and Robby Ray two days before Christmas, she had to take it.

Around one in the afternoon, Lilly, who had been up since 4:30 that morning, finally drifted off to sleep in her reclining leather chair while watching television in the media room. About ten minutes into her nap, the phone rang startling her.

"WHA? HUH?" Lilly exclaimed out a dead sleep. "If this is Doctor DiGiacomo, I swear… Hello?"

"_Hey baby."_ Miley said.

"Oh. Hey Miles. Thank God it's you." Lilly said.

"_What's the matter?"_ Miley asked.

"I thought it was Doctor DiGiacomo telling me to come to the hospital." Lilly said.

"_Don't you remember her saying that she was going to wait until after Christmas so you could spend it at home?" _ Miley recalled.

"When did she say that?" Lilly asked.

"_The last time we went to see her. You were having a really bad day. Maybe that's why you didn't hear her." _Miley said.

"Well… okay. If you say so." Lilly said.

Miley chuckled. _"Anyway, I just wanted to know what you wanted me to bring you back for lunch."_

Lilly licked her lips and thought about it for a minute. "How about… a Reuben… some garlic fries… and some peanut butter cookies."

"_And some mouthwash and toilet paper. You're gonna need 'em both after that lunch." _Miley joked.

"Shut up and bring me my food, Woman!" Lilly teased.

"_Ooh! I like it when you're bossy!" _Miley said playfully.

Lilly laughed. "See you in a few."

"_Bye."_

Lilly smiled as she hung up the phone and picked up the remote. She began flipping through the channels when she saw a commercial for Tipton Hotels International. That commercial made her think of London and she decided to call her. London decided to take six months off to care for her newborn daughter Catherine, whom she and Maddie nicknamed Angel. If the passing of London's father and her relationship and subsequent marriage to Maddie had begun her radical change from spoiled rich brat into one of the most loving and generous human beings on the planet, then the birth of Catherine completed the transformation.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Mommy!" Lilly said.

"_Hey Momma-to-be! How are you holding up?" _London asked.

"I'm always tired, I'm cranky, my sex drive is gone, I'm constantly hungry and I'm in fear of the phone ringing because I know it's gonna be my doctor telling me that I'm gonna miss Christmas being stuck in the hospital. Other than that, I'm good." Lilly said.

"_Sounds typical." _London said with a soft chuckle.

"How's Angel?" Lilly asked warmly.

"_Angelic, just like her name." _London said with tenderness. _"She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, besides marrying Maddie."_

"You have no idea how happy I am for you." Lilly said.

"_Thank you. And I can't wait to come down there to visit you and Miley and R.J." _London said using the baby's initials that stand for Robert Jackson.

"I can't wait either." Lilly said. "I was talking to Miley last night and, well, I want to ask you something. And please don't feel obligated in anyway to say yes."

"_Lilly, you know I'd do anything for you. What is it?" _London said.

"I wanted to know if you and Maddie would be R.J's godmothers." Lilly said. She was met with a moment of silence from the other end of the phone.

"_Me and… Maddie? Really?"_ London said with a wavering voice. _"Lilly… I… don't know what to say…" _Lilly could hear London start to softly cry. _"I'm… honored that you and Miley would think of us like that."_

"You have been a counselor, a confidant and one heck of a coach to me these last few months and I can't think of anyone else who I would want to be his godmothers than the two of you." Lilly said. "Oliver is going to be the godfather. We thought it was important…"

"_I understand." _London said. _"Thank you. I love you so much for giving us this honor. I've got to call Maddie right now and tell her."_

"Okay. Call me back later." Lilly said with a broad smile.

"_You bet. Love you."_

"Love you too. Kiss Angel for me."

"_I will. Bye."_

Lilly leaned back in her chair and smiled to herself. She felt like she had done a wonderful thing for her unborn son. She had come to cherish London's friendship during their pregnancies. This was surprising to her considering that she didn't think she would like London very much when she first met her based on her London's prior reputation. She found out, however, that London Leah Tipton-Fitzpatrick was indeed the real deal and would be a close friend to her for the foreseeable future.

Lilly closed her eyes as her thoughts drifted from London to Angel, to her own child, to Reuben sandwiches, then puffy clouds, then birds, then a fading light that morphed into the darkness of sleep. Lilly was asleep for about twenty minutes when she felt warm lips contact the nape of her neck. Lilly purred like a kitten as the warm lips contacted her again. Suddenly, the tingle that she told London had diminished made a brief comeback. With her eyes closed, she responded to those warm lips.

"I hope this is my wife standing here because if it isn't, she's gonna be pissed when she comes home and finds me making out with you." Lilly said with a smile. The response of that person was to lower their head and press their lips to Lilly's making her moan softly. "I would love to make love to you mystery person, but Miley will be back soon and I am so hungry."

"You'd rather wrap your lips around a stinky old Reuben than me?" The sexy voice of Miley Stewart-Truscott cooed.

"At the moment, yes." Lilly said before opening her eyes and looking up at Miley. "But catch me after my lunch digests and who knows." Lilly said before stretching her eyes playfully.

"I set up a tray and got you something to drink." Miley said.

"I talked to London about what we talked about. She cried." Lilly said.

"That was incredibly sweet of you. I like it that you two got so close." Miley said.

"We became, like, kindred spirits the last few months." Lilly offered. "Maybe you and Maddie will bond like that when the time comes."

"Maddie and I already have kind of a bond with the whole Raven and Chelsea thing." Miley said.

"God that was rough!" Lilly said.

"You're telling me." Miley said. "How's your sandwich?"

"It looks perfect." Lilly said before taking a bite. "And it tastes even better." Seconds later, the telephone rang. "Oh. That must be London calling back. Answer that for me?"

"Sure. Hello?" Miley answered. "Oh hi Doctor DiGiacomo…"

"Shit." Lilly said softly as she plopped her sandwich down on the wax paper in front of her.

"She's doing fine. Would you like to speak to her?" Miley said. Lilly started waving her hands wildly trying to keep Miley from handing her the phone. It was to no avail.

"Hi Doctor DiGiacomo!" Lilly said with fake glee. "I'm feeling fine… Nope, no contractions… yes I've been moving around… we should?... okay… I don't?... Thank God! I thought you were gonna make me come in today… okay… you too… Bye."

"Well, what did she say?" Miley asked. Lilly picked up her sandwich and took another bite.

"She sd we shd hve sx." Lilly said with a mouthful of food.

"Without the corned beef, sauerkraut and rye please?" Miley said with a laugh.

Lilly chewed and swallowed her mouthful of Reuben. "She said… we should have sex. That and walking should help induce labor."

"Well I was trying to start something when I came down here!" Miley exclaimed.

"Come on Miles. I know you love me, but I'm not exactly a sexpot right now." Lilly said.

"Lil, you are very sexy right now." Miley said. "Remember when we went to dinner a week ago and you wore that black dress that was low cut and hitting you at the knee?"

Lilly smiled and then looked down at her chest. "I do have powerful rack now." Lilly said of her D cup breasts up from her normal C.

"It's not about your breasts. Although they are nice." Miley said with a faint smirk. "I just think that pregnant women are gorgeous period. There's a glow and a tenderness that I find very attractive." Miley said as her voice dropped into a purr as she squirmed in her seat.

"Miles? Are you getting wet?" Lilly asked as she scooted forward in her chair.

"Uh-huh." Miley said as her Tennessee accent came out. Upon Miley's confirmation, Lilly felt that same tingle she felt when Miley first came home.

"Take your clothes off… right now." Lilly said as she moved her TV tray to one side and began unbuttoning her maternity dress.

"Are we really gonna do this?" Miley asked as she unbuttoned her jeans sliding them to the floor before removing her t-shirt.

"Damn right we are." Lilly said lustily. "Come here." Miley walked over to Lilly and leaned over to allow Lilly to cup her face and kiss her passionately. That set off a chain reaction of events that culminated in the two of them going into the spare bedroom just off of their exercise room and following through with Doctor DiGiacomo's suggestion. About thirty minutes later…

Miley stared at the ceiling with her arms stretched out over her head. "Oh my God that was good!" Miley said breathlessly.

"I never thought… I would have any sex… especially sex that good… in my ninth month." Lilly answered in breathless fashion.

"You were so wet." Miley said wondrously.

"I'm sorry." Lilly said as she closed her eyes.

"Don't be sorry. I loved it." Miley said.

"You did?" It was Lilly's turn to ask a question with wonder in her voice.

"Absolutely." Miley cooed.

Lilly then yawned. "I'm sleepy."

"Let's take a nap." Miley said as Lilly rolled over onto her side. Miley nestled up behind her and molded her body to fit the curve of Lilly's frame. "I love spooning with you."

"Me too." Lilly said sweetly moments before drifting off to sleep.

It was around five-thirty in the evening when Lilly began stirring from her nap. She could tell from the arm still draped across her distended abdomen that Miley was still sound asleep. Lilly smiled as she lay on her side, thinking about what life would be like as a mother; walking with the stroller through the park, play dates with other children, first steps, first words… feedings at three in the morning, dirty diapers, colic. Lilly's smile slowly faded, replaced by a frown as the uncomfortable side of motherhood invaded her thoughts. _It will be worth it. _Lilly said to herself as she lay there.

She closed her eyes to drift back to sleep. About three minutes into her next round of slumber, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Whoa." Lilly said softly. Miley was unfazed as Lilly once noted that Miley could sleep in the middle of a construction zone and not wake up. "Must have been that Reuben I ate." Lilly said to herself.

Lilly decided to get up. She gingerly scooted from underneath Miley's arm and stood up, deciding to walk around a little bit after she put on her underwear and her dress. Lilly then sat back down in her leather chair in front of the big screen TV in the media room. She turned the volume down on low and settled in to watch a little television until Miley woke up. About ten minutes into her television watching, she felt another sharp abdominal pain that lasted about thirty seconds.

"AHHH!" Lilly exclaimed. "Okay. That hurt." Lilly said to herself as she held her stomach. "What time is it?" She hit the channel guide on the remote. The time read 5:46 pm. "Okay. If I have another contraction before 5:56, I'll call Miley." Lilly watched a little more television to occupy her brain. Several minutes later, the sharp pain returned. "JESUS!" Lilly exclaimed. After calming down for a moment, she hit the channel guide again revealing that it was now 5:53. "Seven minutes apart. I think it's time to get Miley."

Lilly gingerly rose to her feet and made her way down the short hallway to the bedroom where Miley was still naked and asleep.

"Miles?" Lilly called out to her wife. Miley didn't respond. "Miley?" Lilly called out again. This time Miley rolled over. Lilly decided to try something else. "Hannah, we need you on stage!"

Miley shot up straight in the bed. "What! Where's my wig, my boots!" When Miley got her bearings, she saw Lilly standing in the doorway rubbing her stomach. "Lil? You okay?"

"I just had two contractions that were seven minutes apart." Lilly said.

"Okay." Miley said as she swung her legs off to the side of the bed. "We'll keep an eye on you and lemme call Doctor DiGiacomo."

Miley got up and got dressed before calling Lilly's OB/GYN.

"All right Lil. She said she wants you to come in." Miley said.

"No!" Lilly cried out as her tears started to fall. "I don't wanna spend Christmas in the hospital! Please! Maybe… Maybe these are just Braxton Hicks contractions!"

"Baby, I know you don't but the doctor said that it looks like it's time. We've gotta go. Now take the servants' elevator. I'm going to get your bag and put it in the car." Miley said.

"Don't leave me!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Just for a few seconds." Miley said as she kissed Lilly on the forehead. "Here." Miley handed her the phone. "Call London and talk to her until I come get you. Okay?"

"Okay." Lilly said in a baby-like voice. "I love you."

"I love you too Lilly Pad." Miley said as she sprinted up the stairs taking two at a time. She ran over to the door and grabbed Lilly's overnight bag on the way out to the car. She wheeled her Mercedes S430 sedan around to the front door and sprinted back inside to get Lilly, who was about ten paces from the front door. Miley then gingerly placed Lilly in the car and drove out of the driveway headed to the hospital.

**Wednesday, December 23, 2020 – 6:26 pm – Baptist Hospital – Nashville, Tennessee**

After calling Doctor DiGiacomo in the car, Miley and Lilly arrived at Baptist Hospital where the doctor said she would meet them. After Lilly was admitted and wheeled to her private room, Miley went to the pay phone down the hall and called her father, Luanne and Lilly's parents, who had just flown into town for Christmas and the birth of their grandchild to let them know what was going on. Luanne then called Jennifer to let her know what was going on.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Miley asked.

"I'm okay." Lilly said. "The nurse said Doctor DiGiacomo will be here in a few minutes."

"I called Daddy, Luanne and your folks." Miley said. "Our parents will be here in a little bit and Luanne was on her way here already. She'll be here in about an hour."

"What about the Divas?" Lilly asked. "London called them."

The door to the room opened and in stepped Lilly's doctor, Stephanie DiGiacomo, head of obstetrics at Baptist Hospital. Doctor DiGiacomo's good looks and youth were the envy of the attending physicians and made her the object of every male intern's desire. She was always told that she closely resembled the actress Rena Sofer who played in multiple television series including Melrose Place, 24 and Heroes.

"Lilly, Miley, how are you?" Doctor DiGiacomo asked.

"I'm peachy. I don't know about Miley though. She's a nervous wreck." Lilly teased.

The doctor laughed. "I see you have your sense of humor still. Good. You'll need it." She said.

"Since you're going to be staring up my femininity pretty soon, can I call you Stephanie?" Lilly asked.

"Steph is fine." She said.

"Okay, Steph. Exactly how many drugs are you giving me and when does it start?" Lilly asked.

Steph laughed. "You know, Angie Gentry warned me about you Divas." She said, referring to London's OB/GYN in Boston. "I've known Angie for years. We went to Tufts together. And to answer your question I will make you feel as comfortable as I can within reason."

"Which means I'll still feel pain. Thanks. That's all you had to say." Lilly deadpanned.

About fifteen minutes later, a nurse knocked on Lilly's door. "Excuse me, there are some people outside to see you… Robby Ray, Kylie and Luanne Stewart. There are only really supposed to be two people back here at a time."

"Please. That's my daddy, stepmom and twin sister out there. Can you make an exception?" Miley asked.

"Okay. I'll send them in." The nurse said.

"Twin sister?" Lilly said. Miley just smiled.

"Hey there, darlin'!" Robby Ray whisper-yelled as he came in with Kylie and Luanne behind him. He hugged Miley and walked over to kiss Lilly on the forehead.

"Heya Grandpa." Lilly said softly.

Miley hugged Luanne. "If anybody asks, you're my twin sister tonight, okay?" Miley said.

"Can I borrow fifty thousand then?" Luanne joked.

"Lemme think about it… no." Miley deadpanned.

"How are you, Skater Girl?" Luanne asked.

"Haven't done much skating lately." Lilly said. "Thank y'all for coming."

"Are you kidding? We wouldn't dream of being any place else." Kylie said.

Just then the nurse peeked her head back inside. "I figured since four are already in here, three more wouldn't hurt." She stepped aside as in stepped, Ed and Ellen Truscott and to Lilly's shock and surprise, her brother Evan as well.

"Evan? I thought you couldn't make it!" Lilly exclaimed softly as she tried to sit up.

"And miss the birth of my nephew at Christmas? Not a chance." Evan said.

"Mister President, I am honored." Lilly joked as her brother kissed her cheek.

"Mom, Dad." Lilly said as they came over to embrace her.

"How's my baby?" Ellen said.

"Nervous, excited, scared…"

"That's exactly what I said when I had you." Ellen said.

"I'm proud of you, Lillian." Ed said.

"Thank you Dad." Lilly said.

"You and Miley exceeded my expectations tenfold. I'm happy for you two." Ed offered. Lilly smiled in return.

Just then, Doctor DiGiacomo came back into the room, surprised at the group that had gathered.

"Wow! My staff sure has grown!" Steph said. "Hi everyone. I'm Stephanie DiGiacomo, Lilly's OB/GYN and I am afraid I am gonna have to ask everyone to step out into the waiting room. Lilly, Miley and I have some business to attend to."

Evan leaned over to Luanne, whom he was standing next to. "Where has she been all my life?" Evan said of the stunningly gorgeous doctor.

Luanne looked at him and responded. "I was gonna ask you the same thing." Luanne deadpanned causing Evan to look at her in mild disbelief.

The nurse returned to the door. "Uh… Mrs. Stewart?"

Lilly, Miley and Kylie looked toward the door. "Yes?" The three of them answered in unison causing everyone to laugh.

"Oh, Doctor DiGiacomo, I'm sorry." The nurse said.

"That's okay Paula, what is it?" Steph said.

"Well, Mrs. Stewart has some more visitors." The nurse said.

Steph looked at Lilly and Miley who looked back at her and shrugged their shoulders.

"They get two minutes." Steph said to the nurse.

The nurse opened the door. Lilly's eyes grew wide as saucers as London, Maddie, Sandrine, Chloe, Mary-Margaret, Corrie, Jennifer and Renee walked into the large room that was now becoming a tad bit cramped.

"Oh my God! You guys!" Lilly exclaimed. She then looked over at Miley who was grinning from ear-to-ear. "You knew they were coming."

"They've been in town for three days." Miley said smiling.

"But London… I called your house!" Lilly said.

"Call forwarding is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" London said grinning.

"You don't know how much this means to me." Lilly said as her eye filled with tears. "But… where are Raven and Chelsea?"

"I don't know." Maddie said solemnly. "We left them a message at home and on their cell phones."

Seconds later the room door flew open. "Am I too late?" An out of breath Chelsea called out.

Lilly's eyes lit up. "Chelsea! I was just asking about you!" Chelsea made her way over to the bed to give Lilly a kiss. "Where's Raven?" Chelsea straightened up and looked at Lilly with a blank expression.

"I'm right here, Girl!" Raven called out breathlessly from the door. She made her way over to the bed and stood on the opposite side of the bed from Chelsea as she kissed Lilly.

"Thank you guys for coming." Lilly said to Raven and Chelsea in a normal voice before lowering it. "Well? What's the story with you two?" They both looked down at Lilly with pensive looks on their faces before glancing briefly at each other.

Before either of them could answer, Doctor DiGiacomo decided to break up the party.

"All right everyone. Time's up. The waiting room will have to do for a while until this young lady gives birth." Steph said.

"Bye everyone. I love you guys." Lilly said. Everyone said their goodbyes. As she left, Raven turned to Lilly and mouthed, "We'll talk later."

Doctor DiGiacomo watched the last of the brood leave the room before turning to Lilly and Miley. "Okay ladies. Time to go change your lives forever."

**Thursday, December 24, 2020 – 12:14 am – Baptist Hospital – Nashville, Tennessee**

Everyone in the waiting room with the exception of Robby Ray and Ellen were asleep. Every now and again, they would lock eyes and smile kindly at one another from across the aisle. They had been at the hospital for over five hours awaiting an update on Lilly. At fifteen after twelve, an exhausted Miley finally stepped into the waiting room.

Robby Ray and Ellen began stirring everyone awake as Miley took off her scrub cap and scanned the room with her eyes. With everyone's undivided attention, Miley made her announcement.

"R.J's here. Momma and baby are doin' fine." Miley said with a warm but tired smile.

Congratulatory hugs, kisses and handshakes were shared all over the waiting room.

"How big is he?" Evan asked excitedly.

"Eight pounds, two ounces." Miley said.

"Pay up, Old Man." Evan said to his father.

"Evan!" Ellen chastised her son for betting on the baby's weight. "Ed, you know better." Ed said nothing, simply pulling one hundred dollars out of his pocket.

Robby Ray made his way over to congratulate his daughter, but not before stopping in front of Evan to deliver his hundred dollar wager. Kylie and Miley looked at him in disbelief. "Five hours is a long time. And how many times can a man re-read Pregnancy Today anyway?" Robby Ray reasoned.

"Here. Give this to him." Miley was shocked to hear that sentence come out of Raven's mouth as she had the women sitting in between herself and Evan pass two fifty dollar bills down to him. "I was sure he was gonna be six pounds." Raven lamented.

Evan collected his spoils and then meekly walked over to his sister-in-law and attempted to give her the three hundred dollars.

"No. You keep it. It can go toward your first hour of therapy." Miley deadpanned as she shook her head and smiled. "With family and friends like these, who needs enemies?"

**Friday, December 25, 2020 – 9:30 am – Baptist Hospital – Nashville, Tennessee**

"Miley, I don't want to go to the lounge. I want to go to the nursery to see R.J.!" Lilly said.

"Come on. Steph said that you should walk down to the lounge at least once every three hours. The sooner you do it, the sooner I'll leave you alone." Miley said.

"All right." Lilly said as she shuffled out of bed and slid into her slippers. "This is not how I wanted to spend my Christmas… shuffling down a cold, white hallway to a waiting room lounge." Lilly muttered. They walked down to the end of the hallway to the lounge. Lilly stopped and then turned around to head back.

"Lil. Wait a second. I have something to show you." Miley said. Lilly turned around to look at Miley with a disinterested look on her face. Miley then opened the double doors to the lounge.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS LILLY!"

All of Lilly's family and friends were in the beautifully decorated lounge. Evan, Ed, Robby Ray and Jackson, who flew in to Nashville along with Tamera on Christmas Eve, took the decorations and tree from Miley and Lilly's house and brought it to the hospital.

"If Lilly can't go home to spend Christmas, then Christmas will come to Lilly." Miley said sweetly.

"This is wonderful." Lilly said with tears in her eyes. "I don't know what to say."

"I think this little guy does." The nurse standing behind Miley and Lilly said as she held R.J in her hands.

"Oh! Come here little man!" Lilly said as she took her son into her arms. She began crying softly. "Between R.J. and all of you, this is the best Christmas present anyone could ever have."

"All of your family and friends dedicate this Christmas to you and Little Robert Jackson." London said.

"I hope that includes us too." Lilly and Miley turned around and burst into tears as their eyes fell on Oliver and his wife Grace.

"You made it!" Miley exclaimed as she squeezed Oliver's neck. Oliver then gingerly hugged mother and child as his wife looked on beaming.

"Now this is a storybook Christmas." Jennifer said.

"I just love happy endings." London said. "Don't you Chelsea?"

Chelsea looked at London then turned her head to look at Raven, who was standing next to her. She gazed at Raven for a second. Without cracking so much as a smile she responded. "Yeah. I like happy endings. Rae?"

Raven looked at Chelsea, taking in beauty that she had cherished, taken for granted and now cherished again. Raven's face registered no discernable emotion as she answered Chelsea. "Yeah. Happy endings are good."

**And with those words, you have completed your journey Back to the Future. I apologize for the cliffhanger at the end. R.J.'s birth was three months after Raven and Chelsea's fight at London's baby shower. Did Raven and Chelsea reconcile in those three months? Did they separate or, God forbid, get divorced? There is only one way to find out. You have to read their story, **_**Love Conquers All, **_**which will be coming very soon to the That's So Raven fandom. It will be an M-rated story. If you have me as a favorite or on author alert, look for chapter one sometime next week (week of 6/8-6/14/08).**

**Thank you all so very much for following this story for all sixteen chapters. There will be a sequel to this story. I can't tell you how long it will be before it is written or posted. But I will give you a taste of what I have in mind.**

**The Valley of Queens (tentative title) sneak preview**

**Madison Carter – Demi Lovato (Camp Rock and As The Bell Rings)**

**Tuesday, May 24, 2022 – 2:30 pm - Green Hills Academy – Nashville, Tennessee**

Lilly's school was more successful than she imagined. The enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year had just passed 500 students. To maintain the 15 to 1 student to teacher ratio, she increased the number of teachers at Green Hills to thirty-three. One of those thirty-three teachers was Madison Carter, recent graduate of Middle Tennessee State's education program. Madison Carter was to Green Hills what Lilly once was to Bay Laurel in California. Madison was smart, beautiful and beloved by students and teachers alike. It was these characteristics that landed her a meeting with Lilly just after the end of the school day.

"You wanted to see me, Lilly?" Madison asked as she stepped inside Lilly's office.

"Yes Madison. Come on in." Lilly said offering her a seat. "I'll get right down to business. Since I hired you, you have become one of my best teachers. The students love you, parents love you, other faculty members love you."

"That's kind of you to say." The beautiful brunette replied.

"Not as kind as what I'm about to say to you…" Lilly said. "I am nominating you to be Tennessee's elementary level teacher of the year."

"Teacher of the Year? ME? Are you serious?" Madison exclaimed.

"I'm sending your nomination form in tomorrow." Lilly said with a smile.

"OH MY GOD!" Madison exclaimed as she leapt out of her seat and embraced Lilly. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. You earned it." Lilly said as the younger woman hugged her.

Madison then pulled away from Lilly, but not before leaning in and delivering a surprising kiss that was anything but chaste. Lilly attempted to pull away but was held in place, pinned against her desk by the surprisingly strong Madison. When she finally released Lilly, a devilishly sexy grin slid across her lips.

"I've been waiting all year to show you my gratitude for hiring me." Madison purred before stepping back, turning on her heels and leaving a stunned Lilly standing in front of her desk. Lilly touched her fingers to her mouth to gingerly wipe Madison's lip gloss from her lips. She looked down at her fingers and then back up at the closed door that Madison had just exited through. Her mind slowed to a crawl as she replayed the scene in her head.

It was then that she came to a conclusion as she muttered to herself, "That… cannot be good."

**Hate me now, but love me later. See you in **_**Love Conquers All.**_


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